Emery Worldwide expects to reach a decision "quite soon" on replacing its 27 McDonnell Douglas DC-8-60/70s and 29 Boeing 727-100/200 freighters. US cargo carrier Kitty Hawk is also considering a fleet update.
Speaking at a cargo conference in Florida earlier this month, company vice-president and chief financial officer Mike Allgood said Emery is nearing completion of a financial study to select long-term successors to its DC-8s and 727s.
Although the carrier has not decided on aircraft type, Flight International's sister on-line service Air Transport Intelligence says Allgood's comments indicate that Emery may favour conversions of used Airbus A300-600s for a large part of the replacement.
The only concern with the A300-600F is the availability of a suitable fleet for conversion, he says. "It's closer to the DC-8 [in capacity] than the 767-300. I think more will become available, but we don't want to commit until we can be sure of the availability. We hope to get done with all this by 2004."
Emery would "ideally like" to replace the DC-8s and 727s with just one type, but Allgood believes the airline will probably select two aircraft, although it may have to go for three.
Emery will not acquire fewer than 10 examples of any replacement type it chooses.
Airbus A300 conversions could also be in demand at US cargo carrier Kitty Hawk as it starts to build a fleet of up to 60 Boeing 757s and A300s by mid-2001. The carrier wet leases two A300B4 freighters.
Kitty Hawk chairman and chief executive Tom Christopher says the carrier plans to start building a 757F and A300F fleet to begin replacing its 727-200.
The first converted 757 freighter is planned for mid-2001. Phasing out the 727s begins in 2004 and will be completed by 2008. Christopher says, however, that, in the short term, Kitty Hawk plans to add to its 48 727s.
• Just after take-off from Sacramento's Mather Airport, California, on 16 February, the crew of an Emery DC-8-70F radioed that they were returning because of centre-of-gravity problems. The aircraft crashed while positioning for landing. Both pilots and the flight engineer were killed.
Source: Flight International
