SAN FRANCISCO, April 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace leader Boeing Company (Boeing) Thursday delivered the first 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) to an Irish-American leasing company amid growing air cargo demand.
Boeing said in a statement that the first BCF customer is GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), an Irish-American commercial aviation financing and leasing firm, which is the largest commercial airline leasing operator in the world by number of aircraft.
GECAS is a subsidiary of GE Capital, the finance arm of the large conglomerate, General Electric, which offers aircraft leasing, lending and other aviation services.
Boeing said the BCF freighter will be operated by West Atlantic Group, based in Sweden, which will receive four 737-800 aircraft within the next 11 months. The new delivery will bring the company's 737 freighter fleet to 23.
West Atlantic transport goods on behalf of Royal Mail and DHL from East Midlands Airport (EMA), an international airport in the East Midlands of England.
"We're excited to be the first operator of the 737-800 BCF, and the additional capacity and next-generation efficiency offered by this new aircraft will deliver real benefit to our customer," said West Atlantic Chief Executive Fredrik Groth.
The 737-800 BCF carries more payload, up to 23.9 tons, with a longer range of 3,750 km than other standard-body freighters, Boeing said.
It said Boeing has received 45 orders and commitments for the 737-800 BCF from seven customers worldwide, including those in China, Ireland, Algeria, Colombia and Bulgaria.
The 737-800 BCF will primarily be used to carry express cargo on domestic or short haul routes.