What are the two new Amazon air freight services for China-to-US shipments?

Amazon launched Air SMP and Economy Air services. Both options are designed to speed up inventory replenishment and help sellers prepare for peak seasons. These services offer alternatives to traditional ocean freight with faster transit times.

How do these services benefit third-party sellers on Amazon?

The new air freight options allow sellers to replenish inventory more quickly than ocean freight alternatives, reduce lead times, and better prepare for seasonal demand spikes. This flexibility helps sellers maintain inventory availability and respond to demand changes more rapidly.

What trade lanes do these services cover?

The services operate on the China-to-United States route, connecting major sourcing regions in Asia to North American fulfillment centers and markets.

How do Air SMP and Economy Air differ from each other?

While specific details are limited in the announcement, the naming convention suggests Air SMP (likely a standard midpoint option) and Economy Air (likely a more cost-competitive option) target different speed-cost tradeoffs, allowing sellers to choose based on their inventory urgency and budget.

Why is Amazon expanding its own air freight capabilities?

Amazon is investing in proprietary air freight to reduce dependency on third-party carriers, improve service levels, and capture additional margin from seller services. This aligns with Amazon's broader logistics strategy to control more of the supply chain end-to-end.

Shipping & Freight

Moderate

Amazon Adds Two New China-to-US Air Freight Routes

Oct 8, 2026

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The signal

Amazon has introduced two new air freight options connecting China to the United States: Air SMP and Economy Air services. These offerings are designed to accelerate inventory replenishment cycles and support peak season demand preparation for sellers and merchants using Amazon's logistics network.

The new services represent Amazon's continued investment in diversifying its transportation options to compete with established air cargo carriers and provide sellers with more flexible, faster alternatives to traditional ocean freight routes. For supply chain professionals, these services offer another tool to balance speed against cost when managing trans-Pacific inventory flows.

The move signals Amazon's confidence in capturing greater share of the China-US air cargo market and reflects broader industry trends toward faster, more granular shipping options to meet e-commerce acceleration.

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#third-party-logistics