Atlas Air has taken delivery of the first of four new Boeing 747-8 freighters, the last remaining aircraft from the Boeing 747 program to be built. The 747-8F will operate on behalf of Cainiao, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group.

New Boeing 747-8F arrives at Atlas Air

Atlas Air has received the first Boeing 747-8F from an order of four which will have huge symbolic value as the last-ever 747 aircraft to be built by Boeing.

The aircraft will operate on behalf of Chinese logistics firm Cainiao, owned by the Alibaba Group, to expand its freight capacity between China, the United States, Brazil and Chile.

Atlas Air 747-8F
Photo: Atlas Air

Michael T. Steen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Atlas Air Worldwide, said,

"We are pleased that the first of our new 747s will be placed on a long-term basis with Cainiao, as they continue strengthening their presence as a global e-Commerce logistics leader, and we look forward to continue supporting their growth and expansion."

The 747-8F (registration: N860GT) took its first flight on April 22nd and departed Boeing's Everett facility in the early hours of June 2nd. The aircraft is currently en route to Anchorage from Hong Kong at the time of publishing, with an expected arrival time of 06:13 AKDT.

Dandy Zhang, Commercial Director of Cainiao’s Cross-border business, said,

"As a global smart logistics company, Cainiao has been consistently enhancing our logistics services to satisfy the booming demand for e-Commerce in the Americas. We have been operating daily chartered flights linking China and the Americas since last year, in partnership with Atlas Air, and now we are excited to embrace the new 747-8 freighter as a token of commitment to serve our global customers with sustainable and efficient logistics."

Three more to go

With the Boeing 747 program coming to an end this year, Atlas Air will have the honor of receiving the last 747s ever built. The remaining three 747s will be delivered in July, September and October, after which 747 production will be over.

The 747-8 program received a total of 155 firm orders, of which 152 have now been fulfilled. With 107 orders, the 747-8F fared much better than its passenger counterpart, the 747-8I, which received only 48 orders.

Simple Flying explored why passenger Boeing 747-8 orders never really took off, despite the relative success of the 747-8 freighter variant.

Boeing has built over 1,560 Boeing 747s since the 'Queen of the Skies' first flight in February 1969. The 747-8F, which offers 20% higher payload capacity and 16% lower fuel consumption than the 747-400F, will continue to play a key role in the global freight market.

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About Atlas Air

Before the pandemic, Atlas Air had 53 Boeing 747 aircraft in its fleet, making it the world's largest operator of the type. According to ch-aviation, the airline now has 49 747s since taking delivery of its new 747-8F.

Atlas Air Boeing 747-45E(BDSF) N473MC (2)
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Michael T. Steen added,

"These four new 747-8s allow us to offer our customers significant growth opportunities to capitalize on strong demand and deliver value on what we consider among the best and most versatile widebody freighters in the market."

Atlas Air is closely followed by UPS, which has 41 Boeing 747s in its fleet, including 28 new 747-8Fs. The cargo giant received its final 747-8F in April, with the remaining four destined for Atlas.

What are your thoughts on the end of the Boeing 747 program? Let us know in the comments.