Atran Airlines has taken delivery of a 737-800 Boeing Converted freighter (BCF) from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and a second is slated to deliver later this month to the scheduled express cargo carrier, which is part of the Russia-based Volga-Dnepr Group.
These aircraft join the two 737-800BCF freighters Atran and GECAS announced in October of 2018 and which entered service in March and October of 2019, adding further capacity to ATRAN’s short- and mid-range routes linking Europe, China, Russia and the CIS.
“At Atran, we appreciate the support from GECAS’ Cargo team as we continue to expand our fleet and network. Boeing 737-800BCF constitutes the backbone of our fleet and additional planes will enable us to provide more solutions and guarantee high-quality services to our customers,” said Vitaliy Andreev, general director of Atran Airlines.
It says that having delivered 34 of the converted 737-800BCF and with more than 60 on order, GECAS is the largest customer of the type for Boeing’s conversion program. Equipped with CFM56-7B engines, the narrow-body 737-800 freighter carries up to 23.5 tonnes of cargo.
“GECAS is delighted Volga-Dnepr have found the 737-800BCFs well suited to grow their operations and are thrilled to provide these additional freighters to ATRAN,” added GECAS’ SVP & manager cargo aircraft group, Richard Greener.
