Southern Air doubles 777Fs
01 / 11 / 2011
SOUTHERN Air has doubled the number of its leased 777Fs in two weeks.
In mid-October the carrier leased two 777Fs from Aircastle and now it has leased a further two to be delivered in March and April 2012.
Southern Air will remain the only ACMI [aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance] provider to operate four of the aircraft.
The new aircraft will be immediately placed into service on behalf of DHL Express, which became Southern Air’s customer in September 2011. Currently DHL uses Southern Air’s 777F service to connect its hubs in Cincinnati (US), Bahrain and Hong Kong (China), giving its customers later pickup times out of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta and next-day delivery into the US, Canada and much of the
Americas.
“This is also another important step in Southern Air’s ongoing fleet renewal programme, which in addition to the 777s involves the addition of four 747-400s in the first quarter of next year,” DanielMcHugh, chief executive officer of Southern Air, said. “Following the recent capital investment in Southern Air, we have the necessary financial strength to continue investing in our fleet in the coming years, which will benefit our blue chip clients and attract additional ones.”
In related news, Southern has signed a multiple-year 747 ACMI agreement with Centurion Air Cargo, a Miami, US-based all cargo carrier that provides scheduled service to destinations throughout the US, South America, Europe and Asia.
The aircraft began operating for Centurion Air Cargo earlier this month.
Centurion Cargo operates a fleet of four MD-11Fs and leases an additional six MD-11Fs from SkyLease Cargo.
