Global widebody freighter fleet growth slows

Widebody carriers globally have implemented creative solutions to shore up their fleets as available options slimmed and air cargo demand increased. Although operators were challenged with adding dedicated widebody maindeck capacity in 2024, the net number of active widebody freighters worldwide grew 1.8% year over year to 1,389 as of Feb. 28, based on Cargo Facts research. That was 0.9 percentage points lower than the 2.7% YoY growth a year ago. The growth can be partly attributed to the surge in demand for 747 freighters throughout 2024, but new 777F and 767-300F deliveries, along with 767 and A330 conversion redeliveries, all played a part in expansion of the global fleet. For this analysis, the 1,389 widebody jet freighters — built by Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas — in service across 102 operators are divided into four categories: Combination carriers, such as Qatar Airways and Lufthansa; Express carriers, such as DHL Express, FedEx Express and UPS Airlines; Scheduled all-cargo carriers specializing in freight-only flights, such as Cargojet and Silk Way West; and Specialist carriers that are service providers in the ACMI, CMI and own-controlled segments, such as Air Atlanta Icelandic and Atlas Air. See the full list of active widebody jet freighters. 747F redeployments Despite the tightness of the large-widebody market and with production finished, the net number of 747 freighters in service still managed to increase compared with 2023. That was in part thanks to Atlas Air, which purchased and put into service four production 747-400Fs (30766, 30767, 28434 and 29902) previously flying with China Airlines and Silk Way West Airlines . This was part of Atlas’ strategy to increase long-haul flying using its own large-widebody freighters , Later in 2024, Atlas picked up three 747-8Fs (60117, 60118 and 60119) on long-term financial leases from BOC Aviation after the lessor repossessed them from Russia-based AirBridgeCargo. All three are also in service. [caption id="attachment_57149246" align="aligncenter" width="1711"] Challenge Group picked up an ex-China Airlines 747-400F in 2024. (Courtesy/Challenge Group)[/caption] More nose-loading 747-400Fs retired by China Airlines were quickly snapped up and reentered service throughout 2024. Air Atlanta Icelandic and its Malta-based subsidiary Air Atlanta Europe added two, flying one (33731) on a CMI basis for Fly Meta and the other (33732) in ACMI service for Network Aviation. South Korea-based Asiana Airlines also bought two (30765 and 30768) that Jetran had purchased from China Airlines, while Challenge Group acquired one unit (33729) and put it on the certificate of its Belgium-based operator, Challenge Airlines BE. One other ex-China Airlines 747-400F (33729) began flying with Moldova-based Pecotox Air in late 2024 and appears to be operating for United Arab Emirates-based charter company Bu Shames. New operators turn to 767 The flurry of activity surrounding 747 freighters did not measure up to the growth of the medium-widebody segment, which increased its share of the overall in-service freighter fleet to almost 54% as of Feb. 28. The 767 platform continued to drive medium-widebody expansion, even as A330 conversion redeliveries continued to accelerate. There were 511 767 freighters actively flying worldwide as of Feb. 28, a YoY net increase of 4%. In particular, 767 freighters found favor with multiple carriers new to the type or to widebody operations altogether, with many based in Georgia and Uzbekistan. The sources for these 767 freighters have varied. Uzbekistan’s My Freighter, which has grown its widebody fleet to four 767-300BCFs and two 767-300BDSFs, has leased all of them from CAM, including five in 2024. The fast-growing carrier plans to add more widebodies over the next two years. [caption id="attachment_57149247" align="aligncenter" width="1713"] Geosky leased two 767-300BCFs in 2024. (Courtesy/Geosky)[/caption] Georgia-based Camex Airlines also leased its first 767-300BDSF from CAM to complement its 737-800Fs and take advantage of the country’s location between China and Europe. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan-based FlyKhiva, Georgia-based Geosky and Thailand-based K-Mile Asia all entered the medium-widebody segment by dry leasing 767-300BCFs from other carriers. FlyKhiva took one from Icelandair; K-Mile took two from SF Airlines ; and Geosky took two freshly converted units that Saltchuk Aviation subsidiary Northern Air Cargo had placed in storage. Despite exiting service in primary markets for the likes of Amazon and DHL, the 767-300’s shorter sibling still found its way to two new widebody operators: Uzbekistan-based startup SpaceBee Airlines and Congo-based CAA , which each acquired a 767-200BDSF from CAM. A330P2F contingent approaches 50 A330 freighters — specifically A330P2Fs — also contributed to the growth of the global widebody freighter fleet in 2024. Carriers appear to be warming up to A330 conversions as the number in service globally as of Feb. 28 increased to forty-five from thirty. The forty-five units included twenty-nine -300P2Fs and sixteen -200P2Fs. Amazon played a pivotal role in the growth of Airbus medium-widebody freighters, placing six A330-300P2Fs with Hawaiian Airlines for CMI operation after leasing them from Altavair. The e-commerce giant placed its first of ten A330-300P2Fs into service in 2023. [caption id="attachment_57149248" align="aligncenter" width="1563"] CDB Aviation took unit 964 back from Mas and leased it to MNG. (Courtesy/CDB Aviation)[/caption] EFW surpassed Airbus’ thirty-eight production A330-200F deliveries in 2024. The conversion company redelivered A330P2Fs to customers: CaixaBank received three A330-300P2Fs (1374, 1408 and 1544) and delivered them to DHL; CDB Aviation took redelivery of two A330-300P2Fs (791 and 954) and leased them to Avianca and Sichuan Airlines , respectively; and Air China Cargo put its first of eight A330-200P2Fs (860) into service in early 2024 and now has four. Forty percent of all A330 conversions in service are registered in China . The country gained a new freighter operator in 2024 in Capital Airlines, which started flying an A330-300P2F (908) and an -200P2F (785). 2024 saw what could have been the first lease return of an A330P2F with Mexico-based Mas returning a 2008-vintage A330-300P2F (964). CDB Aviation quickly found a new lessee for the freighter and delivered it to Turkey-based MNG Airlines in Q3. 777F only feasible short-term option As of Feb. 28, 278 777Fs were in service, a YoY increase of sixteen units in spite of the temporary halt of production in Q4. Denmark-based shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk’s Maersk Air Cargo division and Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company’s MSC Air Cargo division each took delivery of their first 777 production freighters in 2024. Maersk, which put a second 777F into service in the fourth quarter, joined other established operators of the type that topped up their fleets in the past twelve months, including China Cargo Airlines, China Airlines, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways. [caption id="attachment_57149249" align="aligncenter" width="1426"] Maersk became a 777F operator in 2024. (Courtesy/Maersk)[/caption] While Boeing’s 777F is the only new option to increase lift capacity in the large-widebody segment in the short term, some operators have turned to other means. For example, Kalitta Air has leased three 777Fs from DAE Capital, making it the first time in five years that the Ypsilanti, Mich.-based cargo carrier has added the production freighter type to its fleet. A year ago, Cargo Facts predicted that 2024 would herald the entry into service of at least one 777 conversion type. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be true as development and certification efforts are ongoing for IAI, Mammoth Freighters and Kansas Modification Center. However, with IAI carrying out certification flights in the United States with the FAA using its 777-300ERSF prototype, and Mammoth preparing for the first flight of its 777-200LRMF prototype , the finish line may be near for at least one of the conversion companies, paving the way for a new large-widebody freighter type to have entered the market by this time next year. Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

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