US CARGO AIRLINE Atlas Air has purchased three Boeing 747-200 Combis from Alitalia for conversion to full freighter configuration. The first converted aircraft is expected to enter service in the third quarter of 1995, and all three are to be in service by early 1996.
The purchases take the Denver, Colorado-based airline's 747-200 freighter fleet to 12.
Miami-based Southern Air Transport, meanwhile, says that a chronic shortage of used 747-200s, either freighters or Combi or passenger aircraft suitable for conversion, is stalling its growth plans. The cargo airline operates four 747-200Fs, and intends to add two more by the end of 1995, and two a year in the near future.
Source: Flight International
