Late last year, Alaska Airlines chose Boeing to convert two passenger Boeing 737-800 aircraft within its passenger fleet into freight aircraft for the airline's cargo division, Alaska Air Cargo. Reportedly, the conversion process of the first aircraft has begun. The two aircraft to be converted will be leased from BBAM, well-known within the aircraft leasing and freighter conversion industry.

Early last week, on May 16th, 2023, a 15 years old, Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft touched down in San Jose (SJO), Costa Rica, where Cooperativa Autogestionairia de Servicios Aeroindustriales (COOPESA) is located, and this will be where the conversion takes place. The airline expects the conversion of both aircraft to be completed by early 2024, which will be rechristened Boeing 737-800BCFs (Boeing Converted Freighter).

Increasing capacity and capability

The Air Cargo division already has three dedicated Boeing 737-700 aircraft currently in operation, which are also converted passenger aircraft. While the 737-700 has a maximum payload of 42,000 lb (19,000 kg), the 737-800, after conversion, will be able to carry a payload of 50,000 lb (22,680 kg). This enables the -800BCF to carry 19% more payload, and because of the larger fuselage, the aircraft will have 40% more load space than its smaller variant.

With improved fuel efficiency and a range of 2,800 miles, Alaska Air Cargo hopes to connect freight to over 100 cities across North America and support the supply chain across the region. The additional capacity would also enable faster movement of seafood and other commodities from Alaska to various points throughout the continent.

Cargo network

Despite only having three dedicated freight aircraft in the fleet at the moment, Alaska Air Cargo's network is quite extensive considering that it serves over 100 destinations within North America. Utilizing the belly cargo holds of over 300 passenger aircraft within the mainline fleet, Air Cargo services have over 1,200 daily flights to transport necessary freight all around its network.

Furthermore, with new routes such as Anchorage (ANC) to San Francisco (SFO), which recently commenced, and San Diego (SAN) to Washington-Dulles (IAD) starting next month, the airline's network is growing. To keep up, the airline is also receiving new Boeing 737 MAX 9s, which are more efficient and carry more payload.

Considering that Alaska Airlines is the fifth-largest airline in the United States, the cargo arm has numerous aircraft from the passenger fleet it can utilize and efficiently connect various cities and communities within the airline's network. Sometimes Alaska Airlines' regional subsidiary Horizon Air's fleet of Embraer 175 is also used for its belly hold capacity as well.

Importance of cargo operations

As with other airlines, Alaska Airlines was also affected during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, during this time, the demand for domestic cargo services rose by 20%, and by 2021, there was an increase in revenue by 25%. During this period, the airline was operating at limit, with only three dedicated cargo aircraft available. However, the freighter capacity will effectively double with the two converted 737-800 aircraft entering the Air Cargo fleet.

Simple Flying has reached out to Alaska Airlines to know more about the operational advantages the two new converted aircraft will provide and if the airline would consider increasing its fleet of dedicated cargo aircraft. Any comment received will be updated in the article.

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  Alaska Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AS/ASA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Anchorage International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Portland International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1932

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Ben Minicucci

  Country:

  United States

  Region:

  North America

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  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker