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Amazon .com Inc. has scooped up a minority stake in a cargo airline that operates a portion of its fast-growing air-cargo division, the latest sign of the retailer’s long-term ambitions to expand its airfreight operations.

Amazon .com Inc. is launching air cargo operations in Europe, the online retailer’s first such expansion outside of the U.S. as it looks to bring more freight operations in-house.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, called on four cargo airlines to return pandemic relief aid.

Legislation that would provide nearly $30 billion for airlines, including cargo air carriers, to address concerns related to the pandemic was recently unveiled by top Senate Republicans.

FedEx Corp. is looking at using small self-flying cargo planes to serve remote areas after experimenting with a technology startup on autonomous aircraft, CEO Fred Smith said.

The fatal crash of a cargo plane last year was caused in part by the failure of the U.S. federal government to establish a reliable system of weeding out unqualified airline pilots, investigators concluded.

Smaller U.S. airlines are likely to need more government aid amid an uncertain travel recovery, according to a trade group that represents discounters such as Spirit Airlines Inc., Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Travel Co.

Amazon .com Inc.'s Prime Air fleet will grow to about 200 planes — up from 42 now — in the next seven or eight years, creating an air cargo service that could rival UPS Inc., according to a study.

Faced with hundreds of parked planes and near-empty flights as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, some of the world’s biggest airline executives are turning their focus to cargo.

Southwest Airlines Co. will offer the first all-cargo flights in its 48-year history as passenger demand keeps sliding amid the spread of the new coronavirus.