Amazon has announced a plan to open a new “air gateway” and package sorting operation at Wilmington Air Park, Clinton County, Ohio according to reports. The new facility will form part of Amazon’s growing array of fulfilment services and serve customers and merchants across the United States.
But what exactly is an “air gateway”? It’s basically a fancy way of describing a sorting and delivery system close to the the airport tarmac that seeks to make delivery more efficient and ensure customers receive the goods more quickly
Under the scheme Amazon says that it will rent space at airports for the loading and unloading of customer packages on and off aircraft from trucks that drop off and pick up packages. It will also include an onsite sorting area for organising packages based on their next destination.
Amazon is growing its investment in the community with a gateway for their Amazon Air planes at the Wilmington Air Park as it continues to build out its air hub operation at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).
– Amazon
Increasingly it is becoming obvious that Amazon is so much more than a retailer. Its knowledge and expertise is ever more being applied to the creation of an innovative and efficient delivery company. And the focus there must be about margins. This “air gateway” is a new manifestation of that evolutionary journey.
If Amazon can fulfil efficiently and effectively, by improving performance and bettering the service offered by third parties, then it can make prices ever more competitive and still maintain profitability. And, of course, very much at the crux of this is Amazon Prime. They can become a service provider too and that is ultimately even more profitable. It is tantalising to imagine that in due course that Amazon may relinquish selling goods entirely at some point and just become a facilitator.
