ANA group freighter fleet grows to 16 with NCA acquisition

Japan-based All Nippon Airways has grown its combined operational freighter fleet to sixteen aircraft after the group completed its acquisition of Nippon Cargo Airlines on Aug. 1. NCA will continue to operate its eight 747-8Fs under its own AOC, ANA confirmed to Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_57290684" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] ANA now owns NCA, which operates eight 747-8Fs. (Photo/Cargo Facts)[/caption] ANA’s proposed takeover of NCA from Japanese shipping line Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha for an undisclosed amount, announced in March 2023 , has faced continuous delays while the parties waited for regulatory approval. ANA and NCA had hoped to close the transaction in October 2023 but have had to push back the target date seven times, most recently in late June. China gave the green light for the deal on July 1 while Japan approved the acquisition in January. After retiring its three oldest 767-300BCFs in 2024, ANA’s freighter fleet consists of two factory 777Fs, four production 767-300Fs and two 767-300BCFs. In addition to its eight 747-8Fs, NCA owns seven 747-400Fs. Five are in operation with Atlas Air while two are in operation with ASL Airlines Belgium . Major freighter competition Despite expanding to an overall operational fleet of sixteen freighters, the ANA group still falls short of the top ten scheduled combination carrier groups by freighter fleet size as its competitors have grown. Cathay Pacific and wholly owned subsidiary Air Hong Kong operate fourteen 747-8Fs, six 747-400Fs, ten A330-300P2Fs and four A330-200Fs; Qatar Airways operates twenty-eight 777Fs; Korean Air operates seven 747-8Fs, four 747-400Fs and twelve 777Fs; Air China Cargo operates three 747-400Fs, thirteen 777Fs and six A330-200P2Fs; China Southern Cargo operates nineteen 777Fs; LATAM operates seven 767-300Fs and twelve 767-300BCFs; China Airlines operates eight 747-400Fs and ten 777Fs; Turkish Airlines operates eight 777Fs and ten A330-200Fs; Lufthansa operates twelve 777Fs and four A321-200P2Fs; Ethiopian Airlines operates twelve 777Fs, two 767-300Fs and four 737-800Fs; and China Cargo Airlines operates seventeen 777Fs. While NCA has said that it is looking at next-generation large widebodies , each of NCA’s and ANA’s freighter fleets will remain unchanged for now, with future decisions to be made through discussions among the relevant parties, ANA said. ANA still has two 777-8Fs on firm order. In the meantime, ANA brings NCA’s 747-8F capacity into the fold and can capitalize on growth prospects in the Asia-United States and Asia-Europe markets, where it previously could only serve to a limited extent with its two 777Fs, the carrier said. Major freighter consolidation has recently also taken place in neighboring South Korea, with Air Incheon — now AirZeta — launching operations on Aug. 1 with an expanded fleet that includes eleven widebody freighters after completing its takeover of Asiana Airlines’ cargo business from Korean Air. Cargo Facts Symposium, the quintessential event for stakeholders and key leaders in the global freighter and air cargo industries, will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville . Learn more and register today to take advantage of the early-bird rate before Sept. 5.

ANA group freighter fleet grows to 16 with NCA acquisition

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