NCA to grow managed 747-400F fleet with ASL deal?

[caption id="attachment_16367" align="alignright" width="384"] Today, five NCA-owned 747-400Fs are operated on a CMI-basis by Atlas Air. (Photo: Boeing)[/caption] Two factory-built 747-400Fs that were on long-term lease with AirBridgeCargo until earlier this year (36784 and 36785) have exited storage at Teruel (TEV) and are being prepared for service re-entry. Both aircraft were ferried to Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN), according to Flightaware , and appear to be undergoing maintenance ahead of service re-entry with ASL Airlines Belgium [ FATs 005573-5574 ]. The large widebody freighters will soon take to the skies again, but unlike AirBridgeCargo, which dry leased the 747-400Fs, Cargo Facts believes the deal with ASL may not be a straightforward dry lease. A quick look at the aircraft’s operational history reveals that although both aircraft were ordered from Boeing by Nippon Cargo Airlines ( NCA ), they were not initially taken up by the Japan-based carrier. Instead, the aircraft were briefly leased to Belgium-based Cargo B Airlines, and then later to Russia-based AirBridgeCargo for a period of more than ten years. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, AirBridgeCargo ended its lease for the two units as part of a restructuring plan , noting it had returned the aircraft to the lessor. As we’ve reported in recent weeks, multiple 747 operators are in the market for 747 freighters, including ACT Airlines , SkyGates and startups such as One China Global Airways . The sister ships formerly at AirBridgeCargo did not surface publicly as units available for sale or lease, although Aerotranscargo told Cargo Facts that it was aware of the two aircraft, and bidding on them. AirBridgeCargo did not confirm the identity of this lessor, but Cargo Facts believes NCA may still own the aircraft. According to the Cargo Facts FAT database , AirBridgeCargo’s first lease from NCA was set to expire in 2014. NCA ownership is one possible factor explaining why the aircraft weren’t remarketed. With widebody freighters in high demand amid the current capacity environment, it would seem counterintuitive to place the capacity elsewhere. At present, however, NCA does not operate 747-400Fs in its own fleet. After a maintenance incident in 2018, the carrier consolidated to an all 747-8F fleet, and placed five owned 747-400Fs with Atlas Air for operation on a CMI basis. Capacity is managed by NCA, and its subsidiary Plus Logistics . Last year, digital forwarder Flexport promoted its block space agreement with Plus Logistics for Atlas-operated trans-Pacific flights. The deal with Flexport ended abruptly at the end of the year. Of the five 747-400Fs, three are currently utilized for trans-Pacific operations, according to flight-tracking radar. The other two units operate a mix of global routes, suggesting that the capacity is marketed by Plus Logistics. As the aircraft are on Atlas’ AOC, they benefit from the U.S.-based carrier’s bi-lateral aviation agreements. Returning to the two off-lease AirBridgeCargo 747-400Fs, if the aircraft are indeed headed to ASL Airlines Belgium, the arrangement with NCA could plausibly resemble its arrangement with AirBridgeCargo or Atlas. After all, ASL has experience with both own-controlled operations, as is the case with its current three-unit 747-400F fleet, and ACMI operations. For nearly ten years, ASL Airlines Belgium (formerly TNT Airways) operated a pair of 747-400Fs on behalf of Emirates . Were NCA to opt for a CMI agreement, its managed fleet would grow to fifteen units – the eight 747-8Fs it operates and a total of seven 747-400Fs – five with Atlas and two with ASL. ASL Airlines declined to comment, and NCA could not be reached for comment. While Cargo Facts Symposium 2020 will be presented as a virtual event, the unparalleled networking and continuing education opportunities remain, with the best and brightest minds addressing the most pressing industry issues for air cargo — including those around COVID-19. To register and for more information, visit www.cargofactssymposium.com .

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