Alaska Air Cargo will add two Boeing 737-800 aircraft to its dedicated freighter fleet serving the state of Alaska. These additions increase the freighter fleet from three to five aircraft.
The two Boeing 737-800 converted aircraft will come from Alaska Airlines existing passenger fleet. The planes will be converted from its passenger configuration to an all-freight aircraft beginning this year. The aircraft are projected to re-enter service as freighters in 2023.
The Boeing 737-800 provides a 40% capacity increase per departure over the current Boeing 737-700 aircraft with a payload of nearly 50,000 pounds. With a range of 2,800 nautical miles, the B737-800 will be the most fuel-efficient aircraft to serve intra-Alaska.