- Atlas Air on Tuesday announced an order for four aircraft for the Boeing 747-8F, the largest mass-produced freighter from the American aircraft maker.
- Boeing said these will be the last 747 ever built, as the program comes to an end after half a century.
- Demand for cargo planes skyrocketed during the pandemic, and the 747 provided the one thing that most freighters did not achieve with its front cargo door.
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Atlas Air announced an order for new Boeing 747-8F aircraft on Tuesday, as cargo demand continues to rise during the pandemic. The order for four aircraft valued at more than $ 1.6 billion based on current list prices will increase Atlas’s 747 fleet to 57 aircraft and further solidify the cargo carrier as the largest operator of 747 freighters in the world.
The 747-8F is the largest freighter to be produced by Boeing, based on the 747-8i passenger jet that proved to be a failure, despite a successful past for the aircraft family. Boeing debuted the first 747 in 1969 and, although it was once a status symbol for airlines worldwide, the aircraft proved to be obsolete in the modern era, as the focus shifted to low-fuel twin-engine jets that could fly so far.
Boeing announced in July that the 747 would go out of production in the next two years, as the ever-decreasing demand from customers made it clear that the aircraft’s time had come to an end. At the time, it was thought that UPS Airlines or the AirBridgeCargo of the Volga-Dnepr Group would be one of the last recipients of the plane, as both had the most pending orders.
For the Atlas, the 747-8F offers 20% more load capacity and 16% less fuel consumption compared to the 747-400F, of which the carrier currently has 34. And compared to the 777F, the 747-8F offers 25% more load capacity.
“The 747-8F is the best and most versatile widebody freighter on the market and we are excited to strengthen our fleet with the acquisition of these four aircraft,” said John Dietrich, president and chief executive officer, Atlas Air Worldwide, in a statement.
The acquisition of the last four aircraft gives Atlas the opportunity to fly the aircraft internally or to rent it for use by other airlines.
Cargo airlines, like Atlas, have been looking for more planes since passenger airlines cut their flight schedules and took valuable cargo space with them. The freighters retired and stored before the start of the pandemic were reactivated and the passenger airlines started to dedicate flights exclusively to the cargo.
Read More: Emirates President reveals how the airline’s hopes turned to cargo transportation to stay afloat while the pandemic destroys international travel
Amazon similarly purchased 11 Boeing 767-300ER planes to be used as freighters for Prime Air, as it takes advantage of the slowdown in the airline industry to increase its dedicated fleet. Although millions are spent to convert them into freighters, they were probably bought for much cheaper than they would normally cost, as previous owners – Delta Air Lines and WestJet – no longer needed the planes.
But a revival of cargo could not prevent the inevitable demise of the Boeing 747 program, which has played a vital role in the global logistics system over the past five decades.
“The seven-four will be missed,” Neel Jones Shah, Flexport’s global head of airfreight, told Insider in an earlier interview. “I will tell you what we will miss most on this plane is the nose door.”
In addition to the 747, the only civilian cargo jets that have a front door are the Antonov An-224 Mriya and An-124 Ruslan, both incredibly rare compared to mass-produced Boeing aircraft. The jet was always intended to be a freighter, as Pan Am chief Juan Trippe envisioned that supersonic jets like the Concorde would carry passengers, while traditional jet planes like the 747 would be relegated to cargo.
General Electric GEnx engines with fan blades made of carbon fiber compounds move the 747-8F exclusively and offer a 15% increase in fuel efficiency. The takeoff thrust with the four engines is 66,500 pounds, according to the manufacturer.
And despite a published range of 4,120 nautical miles, according to Boeing, the 747-8F can fly trips well over 6,000 nautical miles. UPS Airlines, for example, flies regularly between its worldwide port of Louisville and Dubai nonstop using the aircraft, although the aircraft is likely to have restricted weight to maximize range.
The Boeing 747 will continue to fly for many years, as cargo carriers will want to make the most of the aircraft that are going to go extinct. Passenger planes, however, quickly got rid of Jumbo Jet with Qantas, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways, among others, all saying goodbye to the aircraft in recent years.
Boeing expects the final 747 to be delivered to Atlas in October 2022.
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