Retirement of 747-400 & MD-11 Freighters accelerates

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Of the 241 B747-400 freighters, 22%, are now parked, up from 12% eight months ago. The percentage varies considerably depending on variant:13% of available 747-400ERFs are parked (down slightly from 15%), as are 13% of 747-400Fs (up from 8%), 53% of 747- 400BCFs (up from 35%), and 17% of 747-400BDSFs (up from 10%).
During the last eight months, five previously parked 747 freighters were returned to service, but this was more than balanced by twenty-two retirements, for a net decrease of seventeen units.
There was less change in the MD-11F fleet, which saw eleven retirements and no previously parked freighters returned to service. The total operating MD-11F fleet now stands at 147 units, with the percentage of available units in storage at 15%.
As mentioned above, a handful of the previously announced retirements were actually carried out over the last 8 months but there were many new retirements either announced or strongly hinted at. The current tally is as follows:
• Taiwan-based EVA Air said it would replace its entire fourteen-unit freighter fleet (three 747-400Fs, six 747-400BDSFs, and five MD-11Fs) with an unspecified number of 777Fs. It has since retired two of the MD-11Fs.
• Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) confirmed that as part of its Phoenix Rising Plan, it would switch to an all-747-8F fleet, and move its seven remaining 747-400Fs “outside of NCA operation.” The official plan is to sell or lease them to other operators, but there are unlikely to be any takers.
• Air France-KLM announced that the three 747-400ERFs operated by Air France, and one 747-400ERF, one 747-400BCF, and one MD-11F operated by subsidiary carrier Martinair would be retired soon. Since
then, it has retired just one 747-400ERF.
• As part of Air China Cargo’s 777F order, Boeing agreed to accept return of the carrier’s remaining four 747-400BCF. Two have so far been returned, but the carrier now also seems likely to retire its three 747-400Fs.
• Lufthansa Cargo indicated it would retire the oldest two of its eighteen MD-11Fs as 777Fs entered its fleet. Those two are now retired, but a new fleet review is underway, and it is possible that more
retirements will take place.
• Cathay Pacific which previously retired its six 747-400BCFs, is now in the process of retiring all of its six -400Fs. Four are already gone, and we expect the remaining two to go soon.
• Korean Air recently indicated that as it took delivery of 747-8Fs and 777Fs it would retire a matching number of 747-400Fs. We expect two more to be retired.
• At AirBridgeCargo’s recent tenth anniversary celebration, CEO Denis Ilin said the carrier was in negotiations with Boeing regarding a transition to an all 747-8F fleet. He didn’t say when this transition might take place, but the writing seems to be on the wall for ABC’s four 747-400ERFs and three -400Fs.
• And finally, Centurion Cargo informed Cargo Facts that it, and sister carrier SkyLease Cargo, would retire all eight of their remaining MD-11Fs, and replace them with an undisclosed number of 747-400 freighters.
Source: Cargo Facts