Japanese dedicated freight carrier Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) is bringing forward the retirement of its remaining Boeing 747-200 freighters in a move that will leave it with a fleet of only younger 747-400Fs by the end of March.
NCA says in a statement that original plans called for it to retire its last 747-200Fs in August 2008 but it is bringing this forward to the end of the current fiscal year to March.
The carrier currently operates five 747-200Fs and five 747-400Fs and has five more 747-400Fs on order with the manufacturer. It says Boeing has agreed to bring forward the delivery of its last 747-400F by two months, to March 2009, allowing it to complete the renewal of its entire fleet by the end of the next financial year.
“With the early completion of the upgrade, NCA will have the youngest fleet of the world’s air cargo carriers,” it says.
“The average age of NCA aircraft as of April 2007 was 11.4 years, but that will fall to just 1.5 years in April 2008.”
NCA is also a launch customer for the 747-8F, with 14 on firm order. Its first is due for delivery in October 2009 and deliveries will be completed by March 2014.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
