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By Mike Mitchell |
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June 13, 2010 –
The Boeing Company is supporting the expansion plans of Cargoitalia
S.p.A. by providing the Italy-based, all-cargo operator with its third
MD-11 freighter under a long-term lease.
Boeing Capital
Corporation, the company’s aircraft financing arm, structured the deal
for the newly completed MD-11 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), with
Boeing conducting the modification work at its subcontractor facility in
Following its
acceptance by Cargoitalia, the aircraft flew directly to the operator’s
main base at
The new BCF joins
two other MD-11s leased from other sources in the carrier’s scheduled
and charter service operations from |
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Cargoitalia
expects to put it into service on its emerging Milan-Shanghai route
beginning in July.
Since ALIS Italian
Airlines purchased the company in 2008, Cargoitalia has seen a complete
turnaround of its operations including almost all of its management and
a re-launching of its brand. “Our fleet plan has been a key factor in this, and we are very happy with the performance of the MD-11 freighter. We are considering further fleet development and continue to work on refining our plans and operations, based on one of the most modern freighter models available,” Manzon said. |
Compared to
earlier MD-11s freighters, the new BCF features an updated flight deck
and cargo-handling system, better fuel efficiency and increased
operating capabilities. It carries a 205,400-pound (93.2 tonne)
structural payload at a range of 3,486 nautical miles (6,456 kilometers)
at 630,500 pounds (286,000 kg) maximum takeoff weight. The main and
lower deck cargo compartments hold a total of 36 96- by 125-in. pallets
or containers.
The MD-11
freighter is the leader in the 90-tonne freighter class, with some 175
aircraft in active service at well-known cargo operators and freight
forwarders worldwide including FedEx, UPS and Lufthansa among others.
"From a
financier’s perspective, investment in a MD-11 freighter conversion is a
great move in terms of the aircraft’s residual value. It takes a strong
aircraft asset beyond its role as a passenger carrier and extends it to
a new cargo-focused life, maximizing its value in the process,” said
John Kent, Boeing Capital senior director for “Cargoitalia’s MD-11BCF brings the engineering expertise of a Boeing-managed conversion with the best in lifecycle support,” said Dan da Silva, vice president, Freighter Conversions, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “These assure that the airplane will provide superior performance to Cargoitalia’s operation.” Overall, Boeing has converted more than 100 MD-11 passenger airplanes to freighters. |
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