Stateside 757s for DHL

On August 28, Cargo Facts brought you in-depth coverage of DHL’s ongoing revamp of its U.S. air operations. The sunset landing you see here is one component of that revamp. This 757 is operated by Air Transport International (ATI) on behalf of DHL and operates a scheduled weekday west coast run between Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle. DHL-liveried 757 freighters are a common sight in Europe, but have been a rare sight in the United States until recently.

ATI, which merged with sister company Capital Cargo in 2013, operates eight 757-200s – a mixture of four combis (which replaced ATI’s DC-8 combis) and four full freighters. These freighters, some of which came from Capital, replaced ATI’s DC-8-70 freighters, which were retired in 2012.

This particular example, N557CM (msn: 23687) was converted by Precision Aircraft Solutions in 2013. Prior to that, it flew as a passenger aircraft with Royal Air Maroc from 1986 to 2011. It is seen here landing at Boeing field just before sunset.

© Photographer Alex Kwanten.