The world’s largest B747 freighter fleet operator is about to get bigger with the addition of another three B747-8Fs. These are leased from BOC Aviation, which was eventually able to repossess them from AirBridgeCargo/Volga Dnepr following long court cases after the Russian invasion led to sanctions and grounding of the aircraft. Serial numbers 60117, 60118 and 60119 will enter into service for Atlas Air towards the end of fall 2024. Atlas Air is seeing ongoing strong global demand for dedicated main-deck capacity, especially when it comes to cross-border e-commerce shipping. It therefore secured long-term finance lease agreements with BOC Aviation for the three freighters, as it continues to count on the Boeing freighter variants for its business model – despite 4-engine aircraft being less welcome at certain airports across the world. Nevertheless, Atlas states that “The 747-8 freighter excels as the most capable, technologically advanced, and environmentally friendly widebody freighter on the market [and] the largest load capacity […], with a 20% increase in payload capacity over the 747-400F, along with 25% more capacity than the 777-200LRF. The 747-8 has a 16% reduction in fuel consumption compared to the 747-400F. Additionally, the 747-8 freighter is the only factory-built freighter with nose-loading capability, meeting the long-term demands of the airfreight sector.” To date, Atlas operates a total of 65 aircraft. Among them: 17 747-8Fs, 39 747-400Fs, 5 747-400s, and 4 Large Cargo Freighters (LCFs).
Michael Steen, Atlas Air Worldwide Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Atlas is the world’s largest operator of 747 freighters, and we are thrilled to expand our widebody fleet with these three 747-8Fs, following the four 747-400Fs we acquired and placed with customers under long-term agreements earlier this year. Our growth in this aircraft type underscores Atlas’ commitment to the 747-freighter platform and the value it provides our customers, including significant payload capacity and unique nose-loading capability. Demand remains strong for dedicated large widebody freighters, and with our robust pipeline, we will place these planes with customers under attractive long-term agreements. Through our ongoing investments in innovation and our fleet, we continue to create additional operational flexibility, providing world-class service and acting as a trusted partner to our customers.”
Steven Townend, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, BOC Aviation, said: “Atlas manages the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 747 freighter aircraft and is ideally placed to partner with us in the operation of these latest generation aircraft. As global airfreight volumes hit record highs this transaction highlights our ability to provide capacity solutions to a wide variety of airline customers.”
