Ameriflight signs agreement with Natilus to purchase 20 autonomous cargo Aircraft

Ameriflight, the nation’s largest Part 135 Cargo airline, announces an agreement to purchase 20 autonomous cargo aircraft from Natilus, a U.S. corporation designing and producing the world’s first autonomous aircraft for efficient and sustainable freight transport.

With the partnership and purchase, Ameriflight will preserve its position as the leader in its industry by building the air cargo network of the future and continuing to push ahead of the competition by providing diversified e-commerce solutions for customers. The new cargo aircraft will aid in modernizing Ameriflight’s fleet and allow the offering of a high-quality and differentiated product in a part of the industry seeing exponential growth. This will be a complementary service for Ameriflight and is not intended to replace their current flying operation. The company’s goal is to build diversified aviation services, and this fits well with that vision.

“In looking forward, adding this state-of-the-art aircraft will complement our fleet and increase our aptness, allowing us to expand on what we do best and ensuring the success of additional business growth opportunities we have underway,” said Ameriflight President and COO Alan Rusinowitz. “Natilus’ technology is at the forefront of autonomous innovation and provides a lower cost of operation while remaining well suited in capabilities for the customers in our corner of the industry. We are excited to partner with them on this new fleet.”

“Developing autonomous solutions that are purpose-built to address the needs of the air cargo market is an important step toward developing more robust long-term solutions,” explained Natilus Co-Founder and CEO Aleksey Matyushev. “The Ameriflight agreement is a major move forward for the air cargo industry to strengthen the regional supply chain”.

Innovation in design allows the Natilus fleet to carry more volume at lower costs, and the exploration of new sustainable fuels will lower carbon emissions. The Natilus fleet of carbon fibre, blended-wing-body designed cargo aircraft offer a 60% reduction to cost of operations and cuts carbon emissions by half. The Natilus Kona, which Ameriflight is eyeing, is a 3.8 ton payload short-haul feeder uncrewed aerial vehicle. It will be used to support the company’s increased business opportunities, primarily for Ameriflight’s expedited supply chain services.

About Ameriflight:

Ameriflight is the nation’s largest Part 135 cargo airline. Founded in 1968, Ameriflight has grown from a small air charter and cargo service carrier to an international operator with 14 bases, 1,500 weekly departures, and 200 destinations. The company is headquartered in Dallas, TX and has more than 500 employees including over 150 pilots and over 100 aircraft. Ameriflight provides feeder services for overnight express carriers, as well as on-demand cargo charter services for customers with an array of priority shipping needs through its Expedited Supply Chain Solutions department. For more information, visit us at ameriflight.com.

About Natilus:

Natilus was founded in 2016 to democratize the air cargo transport industry by designing and manufacturing a new fleet of blended wing body (BWB) autonomous freight aircraft that will commoditize airfreight while reducing air freight emissions by half. Natilus aircraft use existing ground infrastructure and standard air cargo containers, to produce an innovative turnkey solution for customers. For more information, visit www.natilus.co and follow us on LinkedIn @Natilus.