"To catch up with demand, operators
are buying new jets, especially large Boeing freighters. In February, UPS
ordered 14 more 747-8Fs along with four more 767Fs. In March, ANA purchased two
777Fs. This month, Qatar Airways signed a letter of intent to buy five more
777Fs. Over the past 24 months, we have sold nearly 80 freighters and there are
more campaigns in the pipeline."
The main show has always been passenger
aircraft sales and little is mentioned of the air cargo sales at an airshow.
The fifth dimension is hard to get your arms around and science wrestles
with the concept. Having said that Air Cargo is Aviation's fifth dimension. It
hauls everything from capital equipment to computer chips full of data or
programs. That sounds Fifth Dimensional when a postcard becomes air cargo and
one's arms can't quite get around it for its business case.
The Fifth Dimension
However, Boeing has recognized building freight value
into its production business model.
The 747-8F has brought the topic to the
front page and the 767-300F lurks at almost every airport in the land that
delivers FedEx or UPS packages. Airbus failed to make its A380 Freight business
case and canceled the concept. Now it has no A-380 and the A330-200F is its
main freight hope. Most A330-200F are converted from retired
passenger A-330's. All in All, Airbus has unraveled from the Fifth
Dimension's, Air Cargo Business.
Randy Tinseth has spent a considerable
amount of space on the topic on his blog, Randy's Blog. Boeing
is selling a significant amount of cargo airframes including the 777 frame. The
above quote from the article does not get into the details as his blog does but
its safe to say, Air cargo is on a steady expansion of about 5-6 percent a year
and Boeing has positioned itself to meet this steady climb. It has braced for
the Fifth Dimension of Air cargo.
An
earlier Winging IT blog piece "A Pound of Feathers or Pound
of Gold" discussed why older frames make
for a great value as a freighter. Randy's blog answers that question as older
frames can handle the Fifth Dimension freight business better than the
latest technological offerings except for the 747-8F. Its massive freight
hauling capability is flanked by older 747-400's which are predominantly in
service.
The
final idea is reading Randy's blog at the provided links and give pause to the
fifth dimension of aviation's marketplace at the next airshow.
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