Last look – the Grandstar 747-400F

We’ve already reported about the recent demise of Grandstar Cargo International Airlines, but we wanted to take one last look at the Grandstar freighter. “The” Grandstar freighter, because the carrier only operated one aircraft – B-2427 (msn: 26401). A joint venture between Korean Air and Sinotrans, Grandstar’s fleet was to come from the Korean carrier, and indeed, B-2427 previously flew with Korean as HL7497 from 1996 to 2008, when Grandstar gained its operating certificate.

Grandstar’s initial plans called for two A300-600 freighters (presumably for regional work within Asia) from Korean Air to work in concert with two 747-400Fs for longer-range missions. Korean Air did have two converted A300s when Grandstar was formed, but they were subsequently sold to Uzbekistan Airways in 2009 – so neither the A300’s nor the second 747-400F emerged.

The freighter is seen here at Frankfurt in October of 2010. Like the fleet, Grandstar’s route network was fairly small – consisting, by the end, of only Frankfurt, Shanghai-Pudong, Seoul, and thecarrier’s base at Tianjin-Zhangguizhuang. Hong Kong was also served early on.

This photo was captured by Frankfurt-based contributor Hans Schulze (and may not be re-used without his permission). To see more of Hans’ excellent work, click here.