Haikou-based Central now operates six 777Fs alongside converted 737 freighters, with the new aircraft supporting European hub operations
Chinese cargo airline Central Airlines has added a Boeing 777 freighter to its fleet to add to its existing 11 aircraft.
The airline, based at Haikou Meilan International Airport in Hainan, China, took delivery of the leased aircraft this month, data from Planespotter shows.
The airline now has two 737-300 passenger to freighter (P2F) aircraft, four 737-800P2Fs aircraft and six 777Fs.
According to Flightradar24, the 777F has so far been operating between Chengdu (CTU) and Prague (PRG) in the Czech Republic, as well as CTU and Katowice (KTW) in Poland.
Tie Gong, head of network and planning at Central Airlines, said in a LinkedIn post on 21 October: "The Boeing 777F brings modern efficiency, extended range, and proven reliability, qualities that perfectly align with KTW’s role as a 24/7 cargo hub at the heart of Europe."
In May, Central Airlines began operating 777 freighter flights from Tianjin (TSN) China to East Midlands Airport (EMA) in the UK on behalf of Chinese logistics express firm YunExpress. Return flights are from EMA to Xiamen (XMN). Central operates two 777Fs in total for YunExpress.
Last year, Central Airlines began operating two 777Fs on behalf of DHL Express as the German firm looked to expand its China network.
Central Airlines offers more than 40 domestic and international cargo routes.
