A 747-400F (30762, ex-China Airlines) will soon join the ASL Airlines Belgium fleet, Cargo Facts has learned [FAT 005217]. In parallel, at least one carrier, CargoLogicAir (CLA), has announced plans to reduce the size of its 747-400 production freighter fleet by one to two units early next year. As of March 2019, 747-400 production freighters, including ERFs, comprised 13.7% of the large widebody freighter fleet, which numbered 565 units at the time. The reactivation of the stored China Airlines aircraft pushes the parked 747-400F fleet to the lowest it has been in recent years. Cargo Facts estimates there are now just four 747-400F production freighters in long-term storage, including two other China Airlines units (30760 and 30761) in storage at Victorville (VCV). While there are a couple 747-400ERFs in maintenance, there aren’t any of the type sitting in the desert. Although the CLA freighters won’t necessarily face much difficulty landing with another operator, there is a chance the aircraft could end up in storage. Next year, the Volga-Dnepr Group and its affiliate carriers, which include CLA, are preparing to begin taking delivery of 777Fs. The fleet modernization process will inevitably lead to a change of hands for some of the 747-400F production freighter fleet and, absent a market recovery or boost, the tables could turn.
展开▼
