LATAM Cargo announced the gradual increase of its cargo capacity by incorporating four freighters to its existing fleet of eight, thus increasing it to 12 cargo aircraft by 2020.
In addition to the sale of the last two B777F freighters to homogenize and strengthen its B767F fleet, the company has made a number of significant investments to increase capacity. Next May, it will recover a LATAM Cargo freighter that had been leased to another operator and, as part of an agreement with Boeing to convert three passenger 767-300ER liners to 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF), three new aircraft will be gradually added in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
“This agreement reflects our commitment to the Latin America cargo market, and allows us to maintain our regional leadership. These aircraft will enable us to better serve our customers by combining an enhanced freighter operation with our growing passenger network. Additionally, transitioning into a single fleet type will allow us to improve efficiency and reliability. In summary, we believe the Boeing 767 is the freighter that best matches our network and, hence, we look forward to adding these three additional aircraft” said Andrés Bianchi, LATAM Cargo’s CEO.
Mr. Bianchi also highlighted that we are already operating an MD11 leased from Western Global Airlines under an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance & Insurance) agreement that will allow the company to maintain its cargo offer until the first converted aircraft joins the fleet. LATAM will use the airplanes to transport cargo within Latin America, Europe, and the United States as well as augment the cargo carried in LATAM’s passenger aircraft over their global network.
“We look forward to supporting LATAM Cargo with our Boeing Converted Freighters as they expand freighter operations and introduce the 767-300BCF to the region,” said David Longridge, vice president of Commercial Services Sales for Boeing Global Services. “With more than 40 years of experience in passenger-to-freighter conversions, Boeing has a profound knowledge around the needs of the air cargo industry and we are excited to see new growth in Latin America”.
Increased Frequency
Migrating towards a uniform B767F fleet will allow LATAM Cargo to better adjust its itineraries to the size and seasonal fluctuations of the South American cargo markets and give it greater flexibility in terms of routes and operating frequency while enhancing its operational reliability and strength.
“We will operate the same transatlantic routes as the B777F but we will move from 3 to 5 weekly flights from the region to Europe. Soon we will announce new operations in Europe that will not only consolidate our current capacity but also expand the network we operate,” Mr. Bianchi added. Amsterdam will be our gateway to Europe given its position of privilege for our region’s exports. The return will be from Amsterdam and Frankfurt to Sao Paulo and Santiago.
About the conversion
The 767-300BCF conversion entails the modification of a passenger airplane to the cargo configuration. The passenger airplanes are equipped with Blended Winglets from Aviation Partners Boeing and the 767-300 passenger airplanes receive major modifications on the main deck—including a main deck cargo door and surrounding structure, new floor grid, floor panels and seat tracks to accommodate the cargo handling system.
Boeing has received up to 56 orders and commitments for the 767-300BCF and has delivered 23 to date. Over the next 20 years, Boeing forecasts a market demand for more than 460 widebody converted freighters.