Aerospace manufacturer Boeing and aircraft leasing company AerCap celebrated the 100th delivery of the 737-800BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter).
The aircraft underwent its conversion process at Boeing’s aircraft services facility in Shanghai, China. There, the first line of 737 Next Generation aircraft conversions from their original passenger version to cargo units operates.
AerCap leased the aircraft to Gol Linhas Aéreas. The Boeing 737-800BCF will join GOLLOG, the Brazilian carrier’s logistics services business unit, and will operate for Mercado Livre, the Brazilian subsidiary of Argentinean e-commerce giant Mercado Libre.
“Since launching the 737-800BCF program with Boeing in 2016, the e-commerce market has grown at a phenomenal rate with increased demand from e-commerce retail businesses”, noted Rich Greener, Head of AerCap Cargo. “Thanks to its versatility and reliability, the 737-800BCF is becoming the workhorse for express air cargo and e-commerce networks”, he added.
“Across five continents, our customers’ 737-800BCF utilization hours are far surpassing those of the previous generation fleet”, remarked Kate Schaefer, Boeing’s Vice President of Commercial Modifications, Engineering and Specialty Products. “It’s a testament to the important role these freighters play in unlocking market opportunities for our air cargo operators and their customers”, she said.
Importance in the growing e-commerce market in Brazil
In April this year, Gol Linhas Aéreas had announced a deal involving the operation of a cargo aircraft fleet of six 737-800BCFs, each capable of carrying up to 24 tonnes. The planned duration of the partnership is ten years and also includes the option to add a further six freighters in 2025.
According to the company, their introduction will generate savings of 5 million dollars in 2022 and a further 16 million in 2023. It will also allow further dilution of fixed costs and generate new business opportunities.
The agreement with Mercado Livre is part of Gol’s investment to address the needs of the growing e-commerce market in Brazil. Globally, the sector that generates more than 38 billion dollars in annual revenue.
Currently, GOLLOG operates cargo services at 52 airports in Brazil. The company expects to generate additional incremental revenues of approximately 21 million dollars by 2022 and more than 214 million over the next five years.
See also: GOL to add six Boeing 737-800s (BCF) by partnering with Mercado Livre in Brazil
