CF EMEA: Striving for freighter-to-belly balance

• Jeff Lee
• February 17, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Cargo Facts EMEA 2020 - Video Series, Carriers, Equipment, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

FRANKFURT — Turkish Airlines, which has a freighter fleet of ten A330-200Fs and seven 777Fs, took its seventh 777F in January and has one more unit on firm order for delivery in a month or so. The carrier also has an overall fleet of around 300 aircraft, including more than 100 widebody aircraft with cargo-friendly […]

Turkish Cargo continues to grow fleet

• Charles Kauffman
• January 27, 2020
• Aircraft, Equipment, News

Turkish Cargo took delivery of a production freighter from Boeing on Jan. 23 (64240) [FAT 005297]. Since adding its first 777F in December 2017, the cargo arm of Turkish Airlines has rapidly grown its 777F fleet to seven units. Although both Qatar Airways and FedEx added more 777Fs than Turkish Cargo during the same period […]

Production A330F backlog dwindles

• Jeff Lee
• January 17, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, News, Widebody Conversions

Colombia-based Synergy Aerospace Corporation, one of only two remaining customers with the production A330-200F on order, canceled its order for a single frame in December, according to Airbus’ orders and deliveries tally for 2019. Synergy is the majority shareholder of Avianca Holdings, which operates six A330-200Fs through its Avianca Cargo subsidiary. This leaves the A330-200F […]

Production freighter orders in 2019 – 747 nowhere to be seen

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• January 15, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Equipment, Features, Freighter Fleet Analysis, Production Freighters

Given that 2018 was such a stellar year for freighter orders, with eighty-three aircraft ordered, 2019 was perhaps always going to pale in comparison. Still, the year ended with a respectable twenty-eight production jet freighter aircraft being added to the order books. The orders for these twenty-eight aircraft, consisting of seventeen 777Fs and eleven 767-300Fs, […]

Airbus’ first BelugaXL enters service

• Gennette Cordova
• January 13, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Editorial, Equipment, News, Production Freighters

Airbus’ first BelugaXL freighter (1853) entered service on Jan.9, as expected, two months after receiving European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Type Certification.   The OEM stated that another five will be operational by 2023 to replace the fleet of its predecessor, the BelugaST. Airbus’ second BelugaXL (1824) has already been assembled, while the third unit (1930) is currently in production. The entire Beluga fleet is operated by Airbus […]

Hong Kong Air Cargo A330Fs continue flying despite Hong Kong Airlines troubles

• Jeff Lee
• December 2, 2019
• Aircraft, Carriers, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

Qatar Airways adds 6th 777F for 2019

• Charles Kauffman
• November 26, 2019
• Aircraft, Carriers, Equipment, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Production Freighters

Qatar Airways took delivery of a 777F (66339) from Boeing [FAT 005240]. It is the sixth 777F the carrier has added to its fleet in 2019, and increases the number of 777Fs currently operating in the QR Cargo fleet to twenty-one. Shortly after being delivered to Qatar’s Doha (DOH) hub, the aircraft was placed into revenue service […]

With third A330F is Sichuan Airlines ready to launch freighter flights?

• Jeff Lee
• November 25, 2019
• Aircraft, Carriers, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

Sichuan Airlines has taken redelivery of its third A330-200F (1386, ex-Qatar Airways), on lease from BOC Aviation [FAT 005237]. The carrier has now received all three of its ex-Qatar A330Fs but until recently, has not operated the aircraft in commercial service. Shortly after the delivery of its third A330-200F, the carrier operated its first commercial freighter […]