Parked 747 fleet wanes as National brings three out of storage

• Jeff Lee
• September 30, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Florida-headquartered National Airlines will grow its in-service 747 freighter fleet to five aircraft by the end of November with the reactivation of three -400BCFs. The three ex-Cathay Pacific aircraft, parked in Marana (MZJ) since 2013 and acquired by National in May 2019, were brought out of long-term storage in quick succession and taken to the VT […]

NCA to grow managed 747-400F fleet with ASL deal?

• Charles Kauffman
• August 25, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Equipment, Exclusive, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Logistics, Production Freighters, Widebody Fleet Analysis

Two factory-built 747-400Fs that were on long-term lease with AirBridgeCargo until earlier this year (36784 and 36785) have exited storage at Teruel (TEV) and are being prepared for service re-entry. Both aircraft were ferried to Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN), according to Flightaware, and appear to be undergoing maintenance ahead of service re-entry with ASL Airlines […]

ANA Cargo to suspend own-operated 777F transpacific service

• Jeff Lee
• January 23, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Equipment, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

Japan-based ANA Cargo will stop flying its two 777Fs on its only own-operated transpacific route between Tokyo (NRT) and Chicago (ORD) starting March 29, according to the carrier’s newly released 2020 schedule. The timetable shows the only service to be operated by ANA’s 777F aircraft starting March 29 will be between NRT and Shanghai (PVG), a […]

Flexport’s own-controlled 747F service ends

• Jeff Lee
• January 10, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Equipment, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

Flexport will be terminating its own-controlled 747-400F operation on Jan. 25. From that day onward, the forwarder will instead be moving to an asset-light model, having entered into a series of block space agreement with Plus Logistics, wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA). Flexport told Cargo Facts that, while the move was part of […]

Atlas 3Q earnings take hit from tariffs and trade tensions

• Jeff Lee
• October 30, 2019
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Earnings, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Production Freighters

While total block hours were up 7.7% year-over-year, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings reported an operating loss of $0.88 million for the third quarter of 2019, a 102% drop year-on-year. Adjusted net income was $9.5 million, 78% lower than 3Q 2018. Block-hour growth was mainly driven by CMI flying. During the third quarter of 2019, Atlas […]

ANA Cargo puts own-operated 777F into trans-Pacific service

• Jeff Lee
• October 29, 2019
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

Japan-based ANA Cargo today commenced long-haul freighter operations with its own 777F aircraft. The carrier deployed its second of two 777Fs (65757) for the first flight on the new route between Tokyo (NRT) and Chicago (ORD). ANA Cargo told Cargo Facts that today’s inaugural flight carried approximately 80 tonnes of freight, consisting mainly of cars, […]

Flexport unveils livery for dedicated 747F

• Jeff Lee
• August 22, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Features, Production Freighters, Strategy

A 747-400F (36135) has just been painted in Flexport’s colors and will be entering service for the forwarder’s own-controlled airfreight operation on Aug. 25, flying from Chicago (ORD) to Hong Kong (HKG), Flexport confirmed to Cargo Facts [FAT 005103]. Unit 36135 is one of the three 747-400Fs recently reactivated by Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA), having been […]

JAL looks to partnerships for freighter capacity with Kalitta codeshare

• Jeff Lee
• August 2, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Features, News, Strategy

US-based Kalitta Air has begun placing a Japan Airlines flight number on three weekly round trips between Chicago (NRT) and Narita (NRT), operated by a 747-400F. That aircraft appears to be unit 26414, a 747-400F Kalitta acquired from Korean Air about a year ago. The service departs ORD every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and leaves […]