Suparna Airlines plots fleet renewal

Suparna Airlines has announced a fleet renewal plan that will see the retirement of its Boeing B747-400Fs and B777Fs brought in as replacement. The airline is also planning to grow its cargo-fleet from four aircraft now to ten in 2027.

This year, Suparna will retire B747-400Fs B-2432 (28283), currently parked at Shanghai-Pudong, and B-2435 (28282), which is also currently stored at Pudong. Next year, B-1340 (35235) will be phased-out, and in 2026 B-2437 (25207) will be the last Jumbojet to leave.

In 2025, the airline is planning to introduce its first two B777Fs, with six more in 2026 and two more in 2027. It's currently unclear where it will source the new freighters from and if they will be new or secondhand.

Suparna Airlines was originally established as Yangtze River Airlines in January 2003 as part of the HNA Group. It was established as a cargo carrier, taking over all cargo operations from the airlines in the HNA Group. In 2016, 49% of the shares were sold to a consortium of companies, including China Airlines from Taiwan, which is now owning 25% of the airline.

The airline launched flights in 2003 with two B737-300QCs. The first B747-400F was introduced in 2007.

In December 2015, the airline also started operating passenger-flights with Boeing B737-800s. In 2017, the airline was rebranded into Suparna Airlines. It expanded its passenger-fleet with a single B787-8 and two B787-9s. These were, however, retired from the fleet in 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Today, Suparna's fleet is made-up, next to its four B747-400Fs, of ten B737-800s.

Photo by Anton Homma.