UK-based all-cargo carrier MK Airlines has taken delivery of its seventh leased Boeing 747-200 freighter and is evaluating the 747-400 Special Freighter and the 747-8F to meet its future needs.
Speaking at Ostend-Bruges International Airport in Belgium, the carrier's chief executive Mike Kruger said an eighth 747-200 will be added to the fleet in 2007, subject to ongoing negotiations.
He adds that he is "evaluating" the 747-400SF and is "seriously looking" at the 747-8F, which he calls "the freighter of the future". The carrier has phased out its McDonnell Douglas DC-8 freighter fleet and plans to focus on its 747 fleet in the years to come, he adds.
MK Airlines last year decided to switch its fleet to the UK register the carrier's fleet has been registered in Ghana since it was founded in 1990. So far, one of its 747-200Fs has been registered in the UK, with the remaining aircraft to be transferred over the coming months.
In order to facilitate the transfer, MK Airlines had to meet certain ownership and control criteria by attracting extra investment partners. To meet these requirements, Kruger in July acquired MK Airlines' shares in partnership with UK firm Jackson Aviation.
Source: Flight International
