Amazon's fleet expansion a boost for Israel Aerospace

Labourers work inside the cockpit of a passenger plane as they convert it into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Amazon's aircraft fleet expansion is proving a boon for Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

IAI, which also produces drones and satellites, has emerged since 2015 as the leader in converting Amazon's growing fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft.

IAI workers, pictured above, have converted about 80% of Amazon's fleet of around 40 aircraft from passenger to cargo use, according to the state-run company.

An old passenger plane is seen at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

"We dismantle every part of the aircraft and rebuild as a cargo aircraft," Yosef Melamed, general manager of IAI's Aviation Group, told Reuters, noting workers seal off windows, rebuild cockpits and install larger doors.

Amazon says it expects to have a fleet of 70 aircraft by 2021.

Airplane seats are seen near large garbage containers after they were removed from passenger planes that are being converted into cargo planes at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

(Reporting by Steven Scheer)

Labourers work inside a passenger plane as they convert it into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Labourers work inside a passenger plane as they convert it into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Airplane seats are seen near large garbage containers after they were removed from passenger planes that are being converted into cargo planes at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. Picture taken July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

A labourer poses for a photograph next to a passenger plane as it is converted into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. Picture taken July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

A labourer works inside a passenger plane as it is converted into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. Picture taken July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

The interior of a passenger plane is seen while it is converted into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. Picture taken July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Labourers work on a passenger plane as they convert it into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Labourers work inside the cockpit of a passenger plane as they convert it into a cargo plane at Israel Aerospace Industries site in Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod, Israel July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen