Top 6 freighter operators that have yet to look beyond the 747

S ix carriers that purchased new-build 747 freighters directly from Boeing , and continue to operate the type , have yet to add another production widebody type to their fleet s . With the 747 ending production in 2022, the ir choice is currently limited to the 777F. Last year, AirBridgeCargo and China Airlines took delivery of their first 777Fs and this week, Silk Way West Airlines announced its first 777F order . The six remaining holdouts are : 1. UPS The integrator is the largest operator of 747-8F freighters , with twenty-one units, and is taking delivery of some of the final freighters coming off Boeing’s assembly line — the final four are going to Atlas Air . Boeing will deliver seven more 747-8Fs to UPS by 2022. UPS’ entire 747-8F fleet has been delivered within the past five years and will fly for decades to come. UPS also operates eleven 747-400Fs, most of which are relatively young at under fifteen years old. UPS also operates two 747-400BCFs, both of which are twenty-seven years old. The next major segment for renewal is UPS’ MD-11 fleet of forty-two unit s , with the youngest airframe nearly thirty years old, although the company recently added five ex-Lufthansa MD-11Fs. With CEO Carol Tome expressing reluctance to invest in capital-intensive new aircraft projects to the same extent as before, it is unclear how UPS’ large widebody fleet will develop, aside from the remaining 747-8Fs. 2. Cargolux Luxembourg-based all-747 operator Cargolux added to its fleet a fourteenth 747-8F just under five years ago, and operates a relatively young 747 fleet with just two 747-400Fs over twenty years old. The carrier most recently added a fifteen-year-old 747-400F previously operated by CargoLogicAir, and now has sixteen. Previously, CEO Richard Forson had said the addition of 777Fs or possibly even 777-300ERSFs would be inevitable. For now, the company has no aircraft on order. 3. Cathay Pacific The entirety of Cathay Pacific’s freighter fleet is young and not in immediate need of replacement. Cathay’s six 747-400ERFs are each around twelve years old, while its fourteen 747-8Fs are all younger than ten years old. [caption id="attachment_415850" align="alignleft" width="530"] Nippon Cargo Airlines took its first 747-8F in July 2012. (Photo/Boeing)[/caption] 4. Nippon Cargo Airlines Japan-based NCA owns eight 747-8Fs and ten 747-400Fs, but only operates the 747-8Fs on its own AOC. Atlas Air operates five 747-400Fs on a CMI basis and NCA leases the other five to other operators. At this month’s Cargo Facts Asia event , Hiroyuki Homma, managing director of business planning and strategy, marketing and revenue management at NCA, said the carrier’s focus on widebody freighter operations would continue and that , while it has no firm plans, NCA may eventually look to medium widebody freighters to add regional capabilities to its Asian network. 5. Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines operates seven 747-400Fs between fifteen and twenty years old but has not publicly commented on its long-term freighter fleet plans in recent years. 6. Asiana Airlines South Korea-based Asiana has a mixed fleet including four 747-400Fs, seven 747-400BDSFs and a 767-300F, with the 747s ranging from around seventeen to thirty years old. The carrier recently told Cargo Facts that it intends to fly the 747s for at least two to three more years. Given the ongoing merger with Korean Air, which has its own freighter fleet of eleven 747Fs and twelve 777Fs, some consolidation is likely. The following eight carriers have taken delivery of 747-400Fs from Boeing , but have already introduced the 777F platform as a way to either diversify their large widebody fleets or to replace older 747s: Air China Air France-KLM Atlas Air China Airlines China Cargo Airlines China Southern EVA Air Korean Air The only other carriers that took 747-400Fs from Boeing and that are not included in this list are Jade Cargo, Japan Airlines, LoadAir Cargo and Malaysia Airlines. Jade Cargo and LoadAir Cargo are no longer in existence; Japan Airlines no longer operates freighters; and Malaysia Airlines has not operate d large widebody freighters since 2018, when its two 747-400Fs joined Silk Way West . [caption id="attachment_415851" align="alignright" width="500"] Challenge Airlines’ second 747-400F originally went into operation with Jade Cargo. (Photo/Challenge Airlines)[/caption] Additionally, there are a number of carriers operating 747-400Fs not delivered directly from Boeing, with a mix of owned, leased, production and converted aircraft. These airlines include: Aerotranscargo, Air Atlanta Icelandic, ACT Airlines, ASL Airlines Belgium, Challenge Airlines, Longtail Aviation, National Airlines and Western Global Airlines. While most of these carriers opportunistically pick up aircraft others have removed, Kalitta Air most notably announced in late 2020 that it will become the launch operator of the 777-300ERSF and will eventually use the type to replace its older converted 747-400Fs . With the lack of large widebody production freighter options, 747 operators currently have no choice when it comes to new-build aircraft. Boeing could eventually launch a freighter based on the 777X, while Airbus is actively exploring a freighter based on the A350. However, neither manufacturer has officially announced a new program at this point. “If you want a production freighter, there is really only the choice between a 777 or nothing, even where a 747 would make sense,” said Frederic Horst, managing director of Cargo Facts Consulting. “ The 777 is not a bad plane, but it will never be a 747. Beggars can't be choosers.” Cargo Facts EMEA, taking place June 2-3 as a virtual experience, is the event for exploring opportunity in the EMEA region. The event continues to bring together the best, brightest, and most innovative executives in the global air cargo industry. Learn more and register at www.cargofactsemea.com .

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