In a long-awaited deal, Amazon announced Wednesday it has acquired a stake in the Ohio company that has been helping the e-commerce giant run its secret air cargo operation in the state since last year and has signed a five- to seven-year lease for 20 cargo planes.

Any suggestion that freighter aircraft would play a lesser role in the supply chains of the future was firmly put to bed with 29 the number of all-cargo planes ordered from Boeing by the time the Paris Air Show ended this week.

Asia-Pacific airlines will continue to dominate air cargo markets and freighter orders over the next two decades, according to the latest report from Airbus.

IAG Cargo will be expanding its per-plane capacity when it adds at least 18 Airbus A350-1000s to its fleet beginning in 2018.

Air cargo carrier executives would like to think 2013 will be better than last year, but they see little or no cause for