Jeff Lee

Lufthansa Cargo keeps MD-11 retirement plan

• Jeff Lee
• April 3, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Editorial, Equipment, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

For now, Lufthansa Cargo is sticking to its plan to withdraw all six of its remaining MD-11Fs by the end of the year, despite the current high demand for capacity. Lufthansa Cargo CEO Peter Gerber told Cargo Facts the carrier had begun an internal discussion earlier this year about phasing out the MD-11Fs even earlier […]

Atlas Air begins reactivating stored 747s

• Jeff Lee
• April 2, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, Logistics, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Atlas Air has started to bring its converted 747-400Fs out of storage to handle the surge in demand for freighter capacity. One of the four freighter-converted aircraft previously parked by Atlas, a 747-400BCF (24833) was ferried from Marana (MZJ) to Los Angeles (LAX) on April 1, after being stored in MZJ since Jan. 2. The […]

AA to retire dozens of 737s, releasing more feedstock

• Jeff Lee
• April 1, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

American Airlines is reportedly planning to retire seventy-six 737-800s, nine A330-300s and twenty E190s in light of the COVID-19 crisis, making a large batch of potential conversion feedstock available. American Airlines President Robert Isom shared the plans during a video session with employees during the weekend, according to Reuters. Although no precise timeline for the […]

Air Hong Kong adds second own-operated A330F

• Jeff Lee
• March 30, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Express, Logistics, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Air Hong Kong (AHK) has transferred a second A330F to its own air operator’s certificate (AOC). While the first was a freighter-converted A330-300F (116, ex-Malaysia Airlines), the latest is a production A330-200F (1414, ex-ASL Airlines Ireland). Unit 1414 is one of five production A330-200Fs DHL Express acquired from Abu Dhabi-based Etihad in 2018. It was handed over […]

Wallace on Kalitta’s COVID-19 operations

• Jeff Lee
• March 27, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Podcast, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

For a cargo carrier like U.S.-based Kalitta Air, which specializes in ACMI and charter operations, the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing capacity crunch has resulted in extremely high fleet utilization, as shippers and forwarders have turned to freighter operators for help in flying their freight. Of course, one factor working in Kalitta’s favor is its […]

The new Cargo Facts Asia 2020 virtual agenda is live

• Jeff Lee
• March 26, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Cargo Facts Asia, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Events, Express, Logistics, News, Production Freighters

Cargo Facts has released an updated agenda for the ninth edition of Cargo Facts Asia, which will take place Apr. 21-22 as a digital event. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to our decision to change the format of the event and we believe the virtual experience will make it both safer and easier for our […]

Freighters carry medical aid from China to Europe

• Jeff Lee
• March 25, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

As the COVID-19 crisis worsens in Europe, a plethora of medical equipment and aid is now being flown in from China by a range of freighter aircraft, whether production, converted or makeshift. ASL Airlines Belgium is currently operating ten flights a week using 747-400Fs between Liege and China. While these flights transported medical supplies from […]

ACE leverages serendipitous 747 addition

• Jeff Lee
• March 24, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

When Challenge Group was planning two years ago for the reassignment of a 747-400F (35169) from its Israel-based subsidiary CAL Cargo Airlines to ACE Belgium Freighters, it could not have imagined that the world would be paralyzed by a pandemic and in sore need of airfreight capacity. But the redelivery of ACE’s second 747 freighter in […]