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 […]

Express appetite for 777F eclipses 747-400F fleet

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• April 1, 2020
• All Posts, Editorial, Equipment, Features, News, Production Freighters, Widebody Fleet Analysis

In the first part of our analysis of the global widebody freighter fleet, we found that the overall number of in-service aircraft grew by about 5% year on year to 1,176, with seventy-eight operators as of Jan. 15, 2020, despite 2019 being a generally weak year for air cargo. In the second part of our […]

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 […]

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 […]

Boeing to pause production for two weeks amid pandemic

• Jeff Lee
• March 23, 2020
• Aircraft, Editorial, Equipment, News, Strategy

Boeing will suspend all production activity across the Puget Sound region for fourteen days from March 25, in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said it would begin reducing its manufacturing operations today. During the suspension, Boeing will conduct deep cleaning at sites where there were confirmed COVID-19 infections. […]

Coronavirus pressures Boeing to idle operations, cure cash bleed

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• March 20, 2020
• Aircraft, Editorial, Equipment, News, Production Freighters

Boeing is under mounting pressure from the coronavirus outbreak to stop work at its final-assembly facilities, at least on a temporary basis. With at least three large widebody freighters on the flight line at Boeing’s Everett final assembly facility, deliveries planned in the coming weeks could be delayed. These include a China Southern Cargo 777F […]

Freighters resist quarantine and spring back into action, for now

• Charles Kauffman
• March 18, 2020
• Aircraft, All Posts, Editorial, Equipment, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News, Widebody Fleet Analysis

On March 15, ACE Belgium Freighters added to its fleet a second 747-400, an ERF variant (35169, ex-Jade Cargo) that previously operated on the AOC of affiliate carrier Israel-based CAL Cargo [FAT 005356]. After sitting idle since its ferry flight to Liege (LGG) on Feb. 2, the aircraft has since completed two roundtrip flights between […]

Qantas, KLM fly passenger aircraft as freighters, Lufthansa and IAG may follow

• Jeff Lee
• March 18, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Equipment, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

[Note: Qantas has now decided to suspend all international passenger flying from the end of March until at least May 31, 2020.] As borders are severely restricted and passenger flights are cancelled around the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more airlines are beginning to operate empty passenger aircraft for the sole purpose of carrying […]