ANA has B767 conversion options for freighter fleet expansion
13 / 11 / 2015
Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) is considering converting some of its Boeing 767 passenger aircraft into freighters, according to Reuters.
ANA chief executive Osamu Shinobe was reported as saying that eight out of the carrier’s 11 Boeing 767-300 freighters were once passenger jets.
Speaking on the sidelines of an aviation industry event in Singapore, Shinobe indicated that ANA could increase that total to at least 13 by converting more of its existing 767 passenger fleet.
Shinobe said ANA prefers to use existing aircraft for cargo, rather than buy new models such as the Boeing 777F, to keep costs low.
Shinobe told Reuters that ANA wants to make the most out of a cargo hub in Okinawa, within four hours flying time from much of Asia, enabling it to provide a next-day delivery for many key markets in the region.
ANA Cargo has a joint venture with Germany’s Lufthansa Cargo on routes between Europe and Japan. The airlines’ cargo divisions started their joint venture in December 2014, and initially focused on flights from Japan to Europe.
The carriers are offering their flights in a shared network on the cooperation routes.
