ALASKA AIR Cargo has received its first Boeing 737-800BCF. The aircraft – N584AS (c/n 35682) – had previously flown for Alaska Airlines as a passenger variant and was converted by Boeing at Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (COOPESA) maintenance facility in Costa Rica. The cargo subsidiary of the Anchorage-based carrier currently operates three 737-700 freighters. A second -800BCF is currently undergoing conversion and will join the fleet in early 2024, with a capacity to carry an extra 10,000lbs of freight compared to the smaller -700.
In an official statement Alaska Air Cargo said: “Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Bethel will be among the first communities in Alaska to benefit from the increased capacity, with expanded freighter service coming to them by mid-December.” Managing director, Adam Drouhard also explained that the cargo team had “invested in infrastructure improvements and new equipment across the state of Alaska to support the freighter fleet growth.”
The airline currently carries more than 200 million pounds of freight annually to 20 communities in Alaska and over 100 destinations across North America. The airline is looking to achieve ETOPS certification for the new freighters to expand its network and allow for longer flights over open water, including the possibility of nonstop services between Seattle and King Salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay Borough.