Top widebody aircraft transactions of 2020

We continue our look back at the most significant freighter aircraft transactions of 2020. Here we turn to the widebody segment, where much of the activity was driven by e-commerce or express players and ACMI operators. As with narrowbodies, albeit to a lesser extent, some lessors are turning to freighter conversions for the first time to breathe new life into returned or repossessed aircraft amid a weak passenger market. Amazon acquires own 767s [caption id="attachment_414732" align="alignright" width="360"] Photo: Delta Air Lines[/caption] Until recently, Amazon had dry leased all its aircraft after freighter conversion and handed them over to a CMI operator. In late August, however, Amazon registered its first owned 767 : a 767-300ER (25274) previously operated by Canada-based WestJet [FAT 005606]. The retail giant registered three more ex-WestJet frames (25576, 25363 and 25246) shortly after and sent them to Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) facilities ahead of conversion. In late December, Amazon followed with the acquisition of seven 767-300ERs (30594, 30595, 30575, 30388, 30573, 30574 and 32776) from Delta Air Lines [FATs 005813-5815 and 005818-5821]. Kalitta places lease order for 777-300ERSFs from GECAS In October, a year after the 777-300ERSF conversion program was jointly announced by IAI and GECAS, Kalitta Air announced the lease of three aircraft from GECAS and will become the type’s launch operator [FATs 005691-5693]. Kalitta, which has a significant 747-400F and 747-400BCF fleet, told Cargo Facts the 777-300ERSFs will initially be used for growth when deliveries start in 2023, but will eventually serve as replacements for its older converted 747s. The company said it will continue to look at adding more 777-300ERSFs. Multiple 747-400Fs reactivated [caption id="attachment_415161" align="alignright" width="360"] Photo: National Airlines[/caption] The drop in capacity resulting from the reduction of passenger networks this year either prompted or accelerated the return to service of at least several previously stored 747-400Fs. Atlas Air brought four converted 747-400Fs (24833, 26557, 27174 and 27062) out of storage to handle the surge in demand [FATs 005400-5402 and 005686], while Florida-headquartered National Airlines reactivated three ex-Cathay Pacific 747-400BCFs (26547, 27217 and 25068) that had been parked since 2013 [FATs 005822, 005569 and 005823]. Moldova-based Aerotranscargo also brought back into service three converted 747s in 2020: a 747-400BCF (24459, ex-Thai) and two ex-Air Cargo Global 747-400BDSFs (25075 and 24998) [FATs 005396, 005623 and 005824]. Additionally, 2020 saw a new 747 freighter operator in the form of Bermuda-based Longtail Aviation , which added its first 747-400F (27503, ex-Cargolux) on lease from U.A.E.-based Aquiline International in June [FAT 005464] and added a 747-400BCF (24975, ex-Rubystar Airways) on lease from CargoJetX in November [FAT 005827]. Boeing sells freighters previously ordered by Volga-Dnepr Earlier this year, Boeing and Volga-Dnepr Group were involved in a legal dispute over the Russian group’s existing 747-8F and 777F orders. The case was partially resolved and Boeing was ultimately given permission to proceed with remarketing a 747-8F (63784) to UPS [FAT 005452] and two 777Fs (66623 and 66624) to China Eastern’s China Cargo subsidiary [FATs 005483-005484]. UPS took up the aircraft but cancelled an order for a later frame; its total 747-8F orderbook still stands at twenty-eight aircraft. Meanwhile, Boeing backlog still shows Volga-Dnepr as having three 747-8Fs on order, but the status of the deal is currently unclear. Unit 63784 was delivered in November [FAT 005736] and the two 777Fs were both delivered in October [FATs 005675 and 005690]. DHL orders 767 conversions from both IAI and Boeing [caption id="attachment_414270" align="alignright" width="360"] Photo: DHL[/caption]DHL Express, which already has A330-300P2Fs and 777Fs on order, will grow its own fleet further with more 767Fs. In June , the company ordered three 767-300BDSF conversions plus one option from IAI [FATs 005471-5473]. The first of these aircraft (33087, ex-American Airlines) has already been completed and was redelivered in December [FAT 005805]. But DHL also placed an order for four 767-300BCF conversions from Boeing in July. The first aircraft in this order (33083, ex-American Airlines) was ferried to Singapore (QPG) in September [FAT 005633]. A330 conversion gains new customers Elbe Flugzeugwerke’s (EFW) A330 conversion program had previously only had two customers: DHL Express for the -300P2F and Egyptair for the -200P2F. But now, at the end of 2020, it has four. In July, Monaco-based Stratos told Cargo Facts that the pandemic prompted it to place a conversion order with EFW for an A330-300 (713, ex-AirAsia X) that had come off lease early. The aircraft arrived in Dresden (DRS) on July 16 and is expected to be redelivered in April 2021 [FAT 005506]. In November, CDB Aviation became the second known lessor to step into A330 conversions, with an order for two A330-300P2Fs [FATs 005748-5749]. The two aircraft (958 and 964, both ex-China Southern) are scheduled to be inducted around mid-2021. Operators receive first 777Fs After AirBridgeCargo partially the dispute with Boeing, it took delivery of its first 777F (66625) in August and ferried to the facility of VD Gulf, Volga-Dnepr Group’s MRO affiliate in Sharjah (SHJ) [FAT 005539]. The aircraft, part of a sale-leaseback arrangement with DAE Capital, did not enter service until mid-December . [caption id="attachment_415162" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo: China Airlines[/caption] Separately, Taiwan-based China Airlines received its first 777F (66890) in Taipei (TPE) on Dec. 1 and the second (66891) on Dec. 24 [FATs 005764 and 005828]. A third will arrive in early 2021, while another batch of three will be delivered in 2022. For both carriers, the arrival of the 777Fs means they are no longer all-747F operators.

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