Picture credit: BBAM
The first aircraft was converted at the COOPESA maintenance facility in Costa Rica and the second one, which is expected to be in service in Q1 next year, will be converted by Boeing at KF Aerospace in British Columbia.
They are the fifth and sixth B737-800BCFs BBAM has placed in North America and are part of a commitment of 40 B737-800 freighter conversions.
Steve Zissis, President and CEO of BBAM, says, “BBAM is excited to deliver its first Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft to Alaska Airlines. The aircraft will deliver flexibility, capability and operational efficiency across Alaska Air Cargo's growing cargo network. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Alaska.”
Adam Drouhard, Managing Director of Alaska Air Cargo, adds, “These additional aircraft will nearly double our current cargo capacity and extend the range of our network for our customers. We appreciate BBAM and Boeing's support in converting these former Alaska Airlines passenger aircraft to freighters and allowing us to expand our lift at Alaska Air Cargo.”
The B737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter is equipped with CFM56-7B engines, has a maximum structural payload of 23.9 tons with 12 main deck positions and can fly more than 2,000 nautical miles with its maximum payload.