BBAM delivers first Alaska Air Cargo 737-800 freighter conversion

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Oct 12, 2023, 06:00 ET

DALLAS, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Cargo today took delivery of the first of two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) aircraft on lease from BBAM Limited Partnership (BBAM). Alaska Air Cargo plans to use the aircraft for expanded freight service in the state of Alaska and beyond in the coming months.

This is the fifth and sixth North American placement of the 737-800BCF for BBAM as part of its commitment with Boeing for 40 conversions of the type. The first aircraft recently completed conversion at COOPESA, a maintenance facility in Costa Rica. A second aircraft will be converted by Boeing at KF Aerospace in British Columbia. Alaska Cargo plans to have both BCFs in service by the end of Q1 in 2024.

"BBAM is excited to deliver its first Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft to Alaska Airlines. The aircraft will deliver flexibility, capability and operational efficiency across Alaska Air Cargo's growing cargo network. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Alaska," said Steve Zissis, president and CEO of BBAM.

The 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter is equipped with CFM56-7B engines and carries a maximum structural payload of 23.9 tons with 12 main deck positions. It flies more than 2,000 nautical miles with a maximum payload and is an exceptionally cost-effective standard-body freighter.

"We look forward to welcoming this first of two Boeing 737-800s into our current fleet," said Adam Drouhard, managing director of Alaska Air Cargo. "These additional aircraft will nearly double our current cargo capacity and extend the range of our network for our customers. We appreciate BBAM and Boeing's support in converting these former Alaska Airlines passenger aircraft to freighters and allowing us to expand our lift at Alaska Air Cargo."

About BBAM
Babcock & Brown Aircraft Management (BBAM) is one of the world's largest and longest standing aircraft lessors, with more than $16 billion in aviation assets under management. For more than 30 years, we have delivered sophisticated fleet financing solutions to airlines and a broad and expanding range of aircraft leasing and finance opportunities to our partners. BBAM employs more than 140 professionals globally with offices in Dallas, Dublin, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Singapore, Tokyo, and Zurich. You can find more info about BBAM on our website at www.bbam.com.

About Alaska Air Cargo
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.

About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico, with new service to the Bahamas and Guatemala starting in December. We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. As a member of the oneworld alliance, and with our additional global partners, our guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 25 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.