The president and CEO of NCA - Nippon Cargo Airlines (KZ, Tokyo Narita) has told a conference in Singapore that the carrier is looking at acquiring new-generation freighters.
“We’re studying them seriously,” Hiroyuki Homma was quoted by Cargo Facts.
According to ch-aviation fleets data, NCA currently operates eight B747-8Fs, all of which are owned by the airline. The aircraft range in age from 9.73 years to 14.14 years, with the average fleet age being 11.6 years. As ch-aviation has previously reported, ANA - All Nippon Airways parent ANA Holdings is currently seeking to acquire the cargo specialist.
It is important that NCA keeps up with the market and also invests in more environmentally friendly and economically sustainable aircraft, Homma told the conference. He expressed interest in the nascent B777 conversion programmes now getting underway, saying that this avenue offers speed and cost benefits to the airline.
However, Homma also said that, being a general cargo operator rather than an express cargo operator, the greater payload opportunities provided by the B777-8F and A350F may ultimately prove the deciding factor.
