European freighter fleet analysis (Part II): 777F on the rise

This is the second part of our analysis of the European jet freighter fleet. Last week, we looked at narrowbodies in Part I . Turning to the widebody jet freighter fleet operated by European carriers, the chart shows that the total number increased 8.3% since last year to 209 units. Notably, the overall number of 747-400Fs (both production and converted) has remained stable, while the number of 777Fs has jumped from 21 to 29. The MD-11F fleet, meanwhile, has declined and will continue to do so. The largest increase in widebody fleet came from Leipzig-based AeroLogic , the 50/50 joint venture between DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo . This year, the carrier added four new 777Fs and now has 14 of the type in service, by far the largest operator of 777Fs in Europe. Of the four units it added in 2019, two (66164 and 66632) are operated on behalf of Lufthansa Cargo and two (66081 and 66082) are operated on a CMI basis for DHL Express. Unit 66164 was delivered in January, while units 66081 and 66082 were delivered in September and unit 66632 was delivered in October. As for Lufthansa Cargo itself, the Frankfurt-based carrier has added two 777Fs to its own fleet this year, taking one in February (66089) and another in March (66090). Next year will see two more newly ordered 777Fs joining, after Lufthansa Cargo finally decided to go ahead with an accelerated fleet renewal program and withdraw all of its MD-11Fs by the end of 2020. Already in 2019, Lufthansa Cargo has removed four MD-11Fs from its fleet, with the most recent one (48798) having been ferried to Victorville (VCV) on Dec. 17 to be parked. Earlier this year, unit 48806 was retired in November, unit 48805 in October and unit 48785 in August. The growth of the 747F fleet in Europe is in part thanks to Air Atlanta Icelandic , which acquired two 747-400BDSFs throughout the year. Both were purchased from Taiwan-based EVA Air. The first (27898) was withdrawn from service by EVA in February and stayed in Jakarta (CGK) until May, when it was redelivered to Hahn (HHN). This aircraft is currently being operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic on behalf of Magma Aviation. The second ex-EVA 747 (27899) was withdrawn from service in June and also went to CGK. It was then ferried to Liège (LGG) two months later and is now operated on behalf of Astral Aviation. Air Atlanta Icelandic’s freighter fleet now consists of one 747-400BCF, five 747-400BDSFs and one production 747-400F. Of course, one cannot talk about 747 freighters without mentioning Cargolux , the largest 747F operator in Europe and the second-largest globally after Atlas Air. During 2019, Cargolux grew its 747 fleet to thirty units with the acquisition of three more 747-400Fs. The three aircraft in question (35232, 35234 and 35236) were previously operated by ASL Airlines Belgium . Unit 35234 was redelivered in April, while units 35232 and 35236 were redelivered in May. ASL confirmed to Cargo Facts that it was executing a plan to replace the three 747s with “similarly capable aircraft,” and will continue to serve the long-haul market. We believed this to mean that ASL would search for used 747Fs and were later proven correct when we reported in October that a 747-400F previously operated by Taiwan-based China Airlines (30762) would soon be making its way to Europe and be leased to ASL Airlines Belgium. The aircraft had been in long-term storage at VCV since February 2012 and was reactivated in August, making its way back to Taipei (TPE) for heavy maintenance ahead of its redelivery. Another noteworthy 747F operator is London Stansted (STN)-based CargoLogicAir (CLA), the UK affiliate of the Volga-Dnepr Group. On Nov. 1, CLA announced that it would be removing two 747Fs from its fleet next year due to “ongoing challenging market conditions.” The carrier intends to continue flying two 747Fs in ACMI service. CLA owns a single 747-8F (60119) which was delivered new by Boeing in 2016. The three 747-400Fs (32870, 33749 and 35170) are leased. Although CLA’s entire fleet will continue to be flown through the peak period, two aircraft will either be parked or transferred to another carrier early next year. While CLA has not yet decided which of its four aircraft will be cut, it told Cargo Facts that it would be evaluating potential buyers and discussing options with partners like AirBridgeCargo (ABC). CLA said that it aims to “grow the business again in the future.” Despite a reduced contingent of 747Fs, it could still be possible for the carrier to take on a slightly smaller platform such as the 777F. In June 2019, DAE Capital entered into a sale-and-leaseback agreement with the Volga-Dnepr Group for three new 777Fs that it will lease to ABC. These three frames are part the order for nine finalized in June by Volga-Dnepr UK, stemming from a letter of intent signed by Volga-Dnepr Group, UK-based affiliate CargoLogicHolding and Boeing at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2018 for the purchase of up to twenty-nine 777Fs. Given the close ties between ABC, CLA and other Volga affiliates, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 777F being added to the CLA fleet at some point in the future. Next year, we expect the number of 777Fs in Europe to continue rising, with new deliveries to AirBridgeCargo, DHL Express, Lufthansa Cargo and Turkish Airlines , based on current known firm orders. Another type that will see its number increase is the A330-300P2F. Unlike the A330-200P2F, for which there are no more firm orders for now, the A330-300P2F program currently has a backlog consisting of five firm and ten options for DHL Express, which has placed the three it has already received in operation with ASL Airlines Ireland. The fourth A330-300 (777, ex-China Eastern Airlines) was inducted for conversion into freighter configuration at Dresden (DRS) in June, while the fifth aircraft (781, ex-Onur Air) was inducted in July. This story originally appeared in the December issue of Cargo Facts. Archived issues of Cargo Facts are available here . Join us Feb. 3-5 for Cargo Facts EMEA 2020, the event serving as an international platform providing attendees with a direct connection to leading EMEA innovation executives. To register and for more information about the event, visit www.cargofactsemea.com .

European freighter fleet analysis (Part II): 777F on the rise

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