China Cargo signs 747F MRO contract with LHT

• Jeff Lee
• August 21, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, Features, News, Strategy

Shanghai-based China Cargo Airlines has signed a five-year MRO contract with Lufthansa Technik (LHT). According to a post on social media, this is the company’s first major contract with China Cargo and covers the carrier’s three 747-400Fs. The contract is for LHT’s Total Component Support service, which includes component overhaul and engineering services, and allows the […]

LATAM inducts third 767 for conversion into BCF

• Jeff Lee
• August 20, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, Conversions, Features, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News, Strategy

LATAM Cargo has inducted what will be its third 767-300BCF for conversion at the ST Engineering Aerospace facility in Singapore’s Paya Lebar Air Base (QPG), Boeing and LATAM both confirmed to Cargo Facts [FAT 005096]. The aircraft (34629) is the final outstanding BCF LATAM currently has on order with Boeing. Unit 34629 was delivered to […]

Air Incheon ends 767F ops

• Charles Kauffman
• August 20, 2019
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Features, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News, Widebody Conversions

Earlier this week Seoul-based Air Incheon returned its sole 767-300BDSF (25202) to lessor ATSG West Leasing (a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group) [FAT 005102]. The carrier plans to continue operating a single 737-400SF and expects no further fleet changes in the near future, Cargo Facts has learned. When Air Incheon added the 767-300BDSF in […]

CAM acquires three ANA 767 freighters

• Jeff Lee
• August 19, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Features, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM), Air Transport Services Group’s (ATSG) leasing subsidiary, has acquired three 767 freighters from Japanese carrier ANA Cargo [FAT 005097-005099]. While ATSG mentioned during its Q2 earnings call earlier this month that it had acquired three 767s from ANA without specifying the variant, ANA Cargo has now confirmed to Cargo Facts that […]

Korean Air’s 2018 freighter fleet reductions buoy yields amid market weakness in 1H19

• Charles Kauffman
• August 15, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, Features

Korean Air reported 1H19 cargo traffic down 10.7% year-over-year, to 3.6 billion FTKs on headwinds from the US-China trade war. A precipitous drop in yields or load factors was avoided by capacity reductions, including the removal of two 747-400Fs from its freighter fleet in 3Q18, which led to a 2.8% y-o-y drop in cargo capacity […]

Hawaiian adds third ATR 72-200F

• Jeff Lee
• August 15, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, Features, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News, Strategy

Hawaiian Airlines has taken redelivery of a third ATR 72-200F for subsidiary ‘Ohana and deployed the aircraft (432, ex-First Air) in revenue service yesterday, flying from Honolulu (HNL) to Lihue (LIH) [FAT 005060]. All of ‘Ohana’s ATRs are operated by Idaho-based Empire Airlines. Empire tells Cargo Facts that unit 432, which was inducted for conversion […]

Freighter fleet growth pushes Atlas, Qatar and Turkish higher in 2018 traffic rankings

• Charles Kauffman
• August 14, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Features

Yesterday, part I of our two-part analysis of the world's top 50 cargo carriers in 2018 revealed three carriers, Atlas Air Group, Qatar Airways and Turkish Cargo, that had made notable increases in rank among the top 50. For each of the three carriers, a growing freighter fleet led to higher traffic. Today, we take […]

Cargo Air to postpone 737 freighter conversions

• Jeff Lee
• August 14, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Express, Features, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

Bulgaria-based Cargo Air still holds firm orders for two 737-800BCFs along with two options but has agreed with Boeing to postpone the agreement for another two years to 2023 because the 737 MAX issues are causing 737-800 feedstock prices to remain high, the carrier confirmed to Cargo Facts. When the price is right, Cargo Air might consider […]