Alaska Air Cargo selects Boeing to convert two passenger aircraft to freighters

Five dedicated 737 converted freighters to meet cargo demand across the Alaska network

SEATTLE, Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Cargo announced Boeing will provide the conversion work for two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF) to add to its dedicated freighter fleet serving the state of Alaska. The conversion work will be done at Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (COOPESA) in Costa Rica. The two 737-800BCF aircraft will increase the Alaska Air Cargo freighter fleet from three to five aircraft that are dedicated to serving the state of Alaska.

"Fleet expansion positions our growing cargo business to meet increased demand that we see from industry and consumers," said Adam Drouhard, managing director for Alaska Air Cargo. "The 737-800 aircraft provides 40% more load space than our current 737-700 freighters, essentially doubling Air Cargo's total freighter lift capacity. We look forward to getting these 737-800s into service to support Alaska's supply chain and connect cargo to over 100 cities we serve across North America."

The two 737-800 airplanes will come from Alaska Airlines' existing passenger fleet and will be leased from BBAM, an industry leader in aircraft leasing and freighter conversions. The planes will be converted from their passenger configuration to an all-freight aircraft beginning in 2023 with completion of the final aircraft by early 2024.

The 737-800 provides a payload of nearly 50,000 pounds. With a range of 2,800 nautical miles, the 737-800 will be the most fuel-efficient aircraft to serve intra-Alaska.

"Alaskans have always relied on Alaska Air Cargo to provide time-sensitive services to their communities," said Marilyn Romano, regional vice president, Alaska Airlines. "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."

"We are pleased that Alaska Air Cargo has selected the 737-800BCF to meet growing demand for air cargo in the state of Alaska, and across its network," said Mike Doellefeld, vice president of Boeing Converted Freighter and Engineering Services for Boeing. "By introducing the reliable 737-800BCF to its existing freighter fleet, Alaska Air Cargo can offer more capacity where its customers need it most – and with lower emissions."

Alaska Air Cargo serves over 100 destinations in North America with an extensive network and more than 1,200 daily flights. Providing a variety of reliable shipping services, Alaska Air Cargo utilizes a fleet of 737 freighters serving 20 communities in the state of Alaska as well as offering belly cargo service on a fleet of over 300 passenger planes serving the Continental U.S., Canada, Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico. We emphasize Next-Level Care for our guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of the oneworld global alliance. With the alliance and our additional airline partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

BBAM is the world's largest dedicated manager of investments in leased commercial jet aircraft providing over 100 airline customers in more than 50 countries with fleet and financing solutions over the last three decades, and the only significant manager in sector focused exclusively on generating investment returns on third party capital. With more than 450 aircraft under management, BBAM employs over 140 professionals globally with offices in San Francisco, Dallas, Puerto Rico, Tokyo, Singapore, Zurich, and Dublin. BBAM is a full-service lessor and maintains its own in-house capabilities encompassing aircraft origination, disposition, lease marketing, technical maintenance, regulatory compliance, capital markets activity, tax structuring, legal, contracts and finance, for all asset types and strategies. You can find more info about BBAM on its website at www.bbam.com.

SOURCE Alaska Air Cargo