A few weeks ago it was announced that Air Wisconsin will operate cargo flights with the first Bombardier CRJ200 (PF). Now Silver Airways from Florida is also entering this segment - with a strong partner at their side.

Gulfstream International Airlines was founded in October 1988 by Eastern Air Lines Captain Thomas L. Cooper. From December 1, 1990, flights were mainly carried out as an air taxi with the Cessna 402 and later with the Beech C99 between Miami and Cap-Haïtien (Haiti). But due to the political climate in Haiti, Gulfstream soon decided to head for destinations in the Bahamas from now on.

With the signing of a codeshare agreement with United Airlines in 1994, Gulfstream International Airlines applied to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, US civil aviation authority) for a Part 121 license to operate larger aircraft, initially the Shorts 360. With the acquisition of Paradise Island Air, Gulfstream International Airlines also acquired four DeHavilland Canada DHC-7s. Soon afterwards, the fleet was built around the two types Beech 1900 and Embraer 120. Further partnerships were also entered into with Trans World Airways (as TWConnection) and later Continental Airlines (as Continental Connection).

On November 4, 2010, Gulfstream International Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In March, the company was sold with all its assets to Victory Park Capital. In October 2011, they acquired six used Saab 340B + for Gulfstream. These aircraft were intended to fly in addition to the 21 Beech 1900D. But Victory Park Capital completely reorganized the airline. The company has been flying under the name Silver Airways since December 15, 2011 and has expanded its fleet to 27 Saab 340B + in the following years. The Beech 1900D was decommissioned in 2014.

On September 13, 2016, Versa Capital Management became the new majority owner of Silver Airways and shortly afterwards ordered 20 brand new “ATR-600” (both ATR42 and ATR72, plus 30 options) to replace the Saab fleet. The first ATR42-600 was handed over to Silver Airways on April 16, 2018, but it took over a year before this model was allowed to be used commercially. The reason for this was that Silver Airways was the first operator of a new aircraft type that was not yet fully certified in the USA. The first ATR72-600, which was handed over in August 2019, also had to wait several months before it was used for the first time. In the meantime, seven ATR42-600 and four ATR72-600 have already been taken over.

First freight ATR for Amazon

In July 2021, the trade journal CargoFacts reported that Silver Airways will enter the freight sector from autumn 2021. ATR72-500 freighters are to be stationed at the Texas Fort Worth Alliance Airport, for which appropriate personnel are being sought. In the meantime, the first picture of the machine registered as N919AZ (serial number 853) has also appeared. It bears the Amazon Prime Air colors known from the Boeing B767 - only the rear is in white instead of black. The approximately twelve-year-old ATR72 previously flew at the Aurigny von Guernsey. Two more ATR72 are currently being converted into freighters by Empire Aerospace in Coeur d'Alene.

So far, Amazon has used around 100 aircraft from the manufacturer Boeing for the Prime Air service:

• B737-400 (freighter): ASL Airlines France, ASL Airlines Ireland
• B737-800 (freighter): ASL Airlines Ireland, Southern Air, Sun Country Airlines
• B767-200 (freighter): ABX Air, ATI Air Transport International
• B767-300ER (freighter): ATI Air Transport International, Atlas Air, Cargojet Airways

With the (for the time being) three ATR72-500F, a smaller sample is coming to the Amazon Prime Air fleet. This should enable a further fine distribution of the goods. Amazon, already the third largest logistics group in the world, is likely to get closer and closer to number one (United Parcel Service) and number two (FedEx). It should also only be a matter of time before Amazon will make the logistics network accessible to customers outside of the Amazon universe.

It is currently not known whether Silver Airways will massively enlarge the fleet again.