Amazon reveals first cargo plane to be used with PrimeAir

Ecommerce giant Amazon has upped its game in order to control more of its delivery network, by unveiling the Amazon One, a new cargo plane which is the first of 40 to be released.

The company has already begun to lease 10 planes in an attempt to deliver products faster, but the One is the first plane branded with the Amazon colours.

The aircraft was launched at the Seafair Air Show in Seattle, hometown of Amazon.

“Creating an air transportation network is expanding our capacity to ensure great delivery speeds for our Prime members for years to come,” said Dave Clark, senior vice president of worldwide operations.

“I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate the inaugural flight than in our hometown at Seafair alongside Amazon employees and Seattle residents.”

CEO Jeff Bezos has been making moves to wean Amazon off its reliance on carriers such as FedEx and UPS, after technical problems in 2013 led to the company paying out to customers who did not receive gifts by Christmas.

The unveiling of the aircraft is the latest measure to improve Amazon's delivery service. The tech firm have recently launched an Uber-esque app which allows individuals to deliver packages, as well as introducing one-hour delivery.

Bezos said his long-term objective was to use drones to deliver packages within 30 minutes for short trips, which appeared to receive a huge boost earlier this month, when the UK government granted permission for it to use its airspace for testing.

Amazon was recently catapulted into fourth position among the world's most valuable companies by market capitalisation, taking over from oil corporation ExxonMobil.