While Amazon might not be ready to unleash its Prime Air drones into the skies just yet, that doesn’t mean the e-commerce company isn’t preparing to launch its own fleet of Amazon aircraft. The company has inked a deal to lease planes to carry out some of its fulfillment services.

Amazon finalized a deal with airline leasing company Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) to lease 20 Boeing aircraft to operate its own air cargo network aimed at improving its fulfillment deliveries, ZDNet reports.

The deal, which stipulates that ATSG, ABX Air and Air Transport International will operate the planes, is for at least five years.

If the network proves to be successful, Amazon has the option to acquire ATSG shares and expand the deal into the future.

ATSG CEO Joe Hete tells ZDNet that the companies have been working on the deal since last summer, noting they want to “demonstrate that a dedicated, fully customized air cargo network can be a strong supplement to existing transportation and distribution resources.”

Amazon’s current delivery includes using a combination of UPS, USPS, and FedEx services, as well as its own Flex and Prime Now delivery drivers. The company has been looking to beef up its own offerings, including the use of drones to deliver packages in recent years.

Amazon has leased 20 Boeing 767s to carry out fulfillment services [ZDNet]

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