Alaska Air Cargo is adding two Boeing 737-800 converted passenger-to-freight aircraft, expanding their dedicated freighter fleet to five aircraft. The 737s will come from Alaska’s passenger fleet and are projected to enter cargo service in 2023.
On Thursday (March 24, 2022), Alaska Airlines announced that they will add two Boeing 737-800 converted freighters to their fleet. The aircraft will come from the carrier’s existing passenger fleet and are expected to re-enter service as freighters in 2023. With the additional aircraft, Alaska Air Cargo’s fleet will grow to five dedicated Boeing 737 Freighters, including three 737-700s and two 737-800s. The 737-800 variant will offer a 40 percent capacity increase over the 700s, with a payload of nearly 50,000 pounds. With a range of 2,800 nautical miles, the 737-800s will be the most fuel-efficient aircraft to serve the intra-Alaska market.
In Thursday’s announcment, Alaska Air Cargo’s Managing Director, Adam Drouhard, said,
“Fleet expansion positions our growing cargo business to meet increased demand that we see from industry and consumers. The -800 aircraft provides more load space than our current -700 freighters, essentially doubling Air Cargo’s total freighter lift capacity. We look forward to getting these -800s into service to support Alaska’s supply chain and connect cargo to over 100 cities we serve across North America.”
Alaska Airlines’ Regional Vice President, Marilyn Romano, added,
“Alaskans have always relied on Alaska Air Cargo to provide time-sensitive services to their communities. Whether it is vaccines, medicine, household supplies or fresh food, our freighters keep rural Alaska supplied and connected. With service to 20 communities across Alaska, and only three accessible by road, adding new aircraft to the current freighter fleet allows expansion of our vital services to all Alaskans. The additional freighter capacity also allows us to quickly move seafood and other commodities from Alaska to points throughout the U.S.”
Alaska Air Cargo serves over 100 North American destinations with an extensive network and more than 1,200 daily flights, providing belly-hold and dedicated freighter cargo capacity. The carrier’s dedicated Boeing 737 Freighters serve 20 communities in Alaska, while over 300 passenger aircraft provide freight capacity to the continental U.S., Canada, Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Source: Alaska Airlines