Kazakhstan’s Sigma adds country’s first 747F

Last week, a 747-200SF (23737, ex-Kalitta Air) landed at Shymkent (CIT) airport in Kazakhstan, on delivery to Sigma Airlines. The Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan confirmed in early December that Sigma had registered the country’s first 747 freighter.  

Previously, the aircraft had been operated by Kalitta Air, but had not been operated since December 2016. Kalitta confirmed to Cargo Facts that unit 23737 was recently sold to United Arab Emirates-based East Meets West (EMW) Aviation, which also purchased two other 747 Classics from Kalitta during the past three years. 

In a statement on the country’s aviation administration website, Sigma noted that the 747-200SF is leased from “the Emirate company” until 2022 and will be based in Shymkent.  

The 747F will also be the first Boeing freighter to operate with Sigma, which operates a mixture of owned and leased aircraft including an A300B4F and three Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft. Normal operations for the airline include transport of oversized and heavy cargo, but the carrier also operates special charter environmental and humanitarian programs for the United Nations in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the CIS, according to the carrier’s statement.