Big finish to 2015 for airplane stories—Boeing stock took a hit after reports that Delta picked up a used B777-200 for a mere $7 million USD, amidst a glut of used aircraft of that type parked out in the desert. At the same time, China Southern Airlines Co. signed a deal with Boeing worth over $10 billion for 110 planes on Thursday. Boeing, you might recall, recently hooked up with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. to build an aircraft completion center in China for Boeing 737s . . .

Meanwhile, the Amazon story about a possible lease of 20 Boeing 767 jets for its own air delivery service may only be the tip of the iceberg. Amazon logistics may be a future force to be reckoned with in air cargo. Amazon already has thousands of over the road trailers moving about its 50 distribution centers in the U.S., although the trucks are operated by a third party company. It’s possible to imagine that Amazon might do the same thing with air. Eventually that could include some direct head-to-head competition between Amazon, FedEx, and UPS. Amazon utilizing its warehouse and distribution infrastructure along with trucks and planes could follow the development pattern of Amazon Web Services, wherein the company created a resource for itself and then offered it for sale to others . . .

One of the greatest is leaving as Ed Chism retires as Emirates USA Cargo Manager on December 31. Ed, who served as Emirates GSA before joining the carrier and building its USA cargo program, caps 48 years in air cargo. Duncan Watson - VP Cargo Commercial (EK) - Americas, Central, and Southern Africa, said: “With a heavy heart I must announce the retirement of Edward Chism. “In recent weeks, I have spoken to many colleagues and customers both in the USA and beyond about Ed’s departure; the word commonly used was ‘legend.’ “He is a truly respected, well liked, and professional person who delivers with a unique style and character of his own.” For his part Ed said simply: “It’s been fun.” We have known Ed for many of his 48 years, first at Pan Am, later at EC Air, his GSA outfit located off the main runways at JFK International in Springfield Gardens, and then at SkyCargo. Although he is well ensconced in Florida these days, don’t count this guy all the way out of air cargo just yet . . .