National Airlines (N8, Orlando Sanford) took delivery of its first B747-400ERF, its first production B747 and simultaneously the only nose-loaded aircraft in its fleet.
N663CA (msn 35237) remains at Marana airport ahead of its induction into service. The 14.5-year-old freighter is owned by Aircastle and was operated by Russia's AirBridgeCargo (RU, Ulyanovsk Vostochny) through February 2022. It has so far accumulated 55,135 flight hours and 10,344 flight cycles.
"The introduction of the B747-400ERF aircraft is part of our greater vision to modernise our fleet and enhance our service offerings for our customers. Our prime focus is not just rapid fleet expansion, but also to offer newer and innovative air freight solutions to the post-COVID global market to meet growing specialized cargo demands," Chairman of parent National Air Cargo Holdings Christopher Alf said.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that National Airlines also operates one A330-200, six converted B747-400(BCF)s, and one B757-200. In late 2021, the carrier outlined tentative plans to increase its freighter fleet to 15-20 units.