Sun Country Airlines is starting to significantly ramp freight-hauling activities on behalf of Amazon.
The carrier has taken delivery of the first of eight additional Boeing 737-800 cargo aircraft that it will deploy for Amazon this year. That will grow Sun Country’s cargo fleet to 20 aircraft, which will fly under an amended agreement with Amazon.
The recently delivered 737-800 has yet to enter service, chief executive Jude Bricker said during Minneapolis-based Sun Country’s 4 February earnings call. It will likely begin revenue service later in the first quarter.
Bricker expects the carrier’s cargo revenue to double from its roughly $29 million fourth-quarter total by “this time next year”, he says.
Sun Country generated a total of $260 million in revenue during the fourth quarter, an increase of about 6% over the same period of last year.
The discount carrier has extended the lease return dates on three 737-900ERs currently in operation with another airline. Two of those jets are expected to rejoin Sun Country’s passenger fleet in May and November, with the third due in November 2026.
“These extensions provide continued lease revenues as we focus on our 2025 growth on our cargo business,” says chief financial officer Dave Davis.
The 737-900ERs are expected to provide a passenger-service growth mechanism in 2026 and beyond.
Sun Country intentionally curbed its growth plans in the second half of last year, responding to an oversupply of inexpensive airline seats to popular US cities for vacations.
Posting its tenth consecutive profitable quarter, Sun Country reports a gain of $13.5 million for the last three months of 2024, compared with a $5.6 million profit during the prior-year period.
