Amazon opening new facility near Tucson airport, creating hundreds of jobs

Amazon is building a new facility near the Tucson airport for sorting of packages that arrive via air cargo, creating hundreds of jobs.

The 270,000-square-foot center is under construction on Alvernon Way and Corona Road, with completion expected by the end of the year. The full- and part-time positions come with a starting wage of $15 per hour.

A similar sorting center is also going up in Glendale.

“We are excited to break ground on these new sortation centers in Arizona, where more than 25 years of Amazon’s operational expertise, technology advancements and investment in transportation infrastructure is enabling faster delivery for our community,” said Marcus Buford, director of Amazon Operations.

Amazon currently has a large fulfillment center at the Port of Tucson, on the city’s southeast side; a last-mile delivery hub near Interstate 10 and Silverlake Road; and an administrative office near Country Club and Bilby roads.

Amazon’s sorting centers receive packages from air hubs that are sorted by ZIP code before being transported to delivery stations or last-mile delivery partners.

“Amazon’s newest location, adjacent to the Tucson International Airport, will bring new jobs to the airport area, a key employment zone in our region,” said Chuck Huckelberry, Pima County administrator. “This is a testament to the advantages Pima County has to offer as a logistics hub.”

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Tucson has often been touted as a logical choice for distribution and warehousing companies because of the access to two interstates — one directly to Mexico — as well as the railroad and airport with capacity to support air cargo.

In recent years, most of the higher quality industrial space has been leased by those sorts of companies, and new speculative buildings are under construction near the airport.

Amazon, which already employs thousands locally, opened an 855,000-square-foot fulfillment center at the Port of Tucson, 6701 S. Kolb Road, in 2019, making it the second-largest industrial building in the Tucson market.

Its first Arizona facility opened in Phoenix in 2007, and the company currently has more than 32,000 employees across the state.

“This is welcome news for the city of Tucson and the entire state of Arizona,” said Mayor Regina Romero. “We’re thrilled that Amazon has chosen to continue investing in our community, creating hundreds of new employment opportunities for our residents.”

Project partners included the Sun Corridor Inc., Arizona Commerce Authority, City of Tucson, Pima County, VanTrust Real Estate and Picor commercial real estate.

Visit amazon.jobs for employment information.