Mot slutten av året fortsetter flykjøpene - Curt Lewis

SF Airlines adds its 50th freighter SF Airlines took delivery of its forty-ninth and fiftieth freighters in December. Photo: SF Airlines On 21 December, SF Airlines took redelivery of a 757-200PCF (27201) following its conversion to freighter configuration by Precision at the Ameco facility in Chengdu. The redelivery brings SF's freighter fleet up to fifty units. The airline affiliate of SF Express has grown its freighter fleet at an impressive rate, from only ten freighters in 2012 to more than thirty in 2016, when the carrier put its first widebody freighter, a Boeing-converted 767-300F, into service. Furthermore, the carrier - which operates the largest freighter fleet of any China-based airline - shows no signs of slowing its growth. Late in October of this year, SF took redelivery of the first of two ex-Jade Cargo 747-400ERFs it won at auction a year ago this month, marking the first large widebody in operation in SF's livery. The remaining 747F is still in storage at Shanghai Pudong (PVG). Moves from SF and its parent company, SF Holding, during 2018 indicate the large scale of the companies' ambitions in Asia's growing express sector. Alongside adding more aircraft to SF Airlines' freighter fleet, SF Holding and Deutsche Post DHL Group announced in October that DP-DHL would transfer its regional supply chain operations in Macau, Hong Kong, and Mainland China to SF Holding, greatly expanding SF's domestic logistics capabilities. Even earlier this year, SF Express joined a "Malaysia-China cross-border e-commerce sharing platform" initiative. Both deals are demonstrative of SF's business focus on helping Chinese companies expand their reach into other markets. The fifty freighter aircraft SF Airlines currently operate include one 747-400ERF, five 767-300BCFs, twenty-seven 757-200Fs, fourteen 737-300Fs and three 737-400Fs. The carrier also has additional 757 and 767 aircraft currently in conversion, and 737-800BCF conversions on order with Boeing.

Flyadeal to purchase up to 50 B737 Max aircraft Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier Flyadeal has announced a commitment for up to 50 B737 Max aircraft in order to "support domestic growth and potential international expansion". The airline was launched in 2017 as a low-cost subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Airlines, and currently operates eight domestic routes out of Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport, with a fleet of ten A320-200 aircraft. The new deal is worth $5.9 billion at list price, and when finalised will see Flyadeal order 30 B737 Max 8s, with an option for a further 20 aircraft. Boeing said that "Compared to Flyadeal's current fleet of A320s, the Max 8 carries 12 more passengers and provides 8 per cent lower operating costs per seat". Commenting on the news Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines, His Excellency Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said: "The demand for air transport services in the domestic market of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has grown exponentially. A new brand, with a fresh identity focused on low-fares, Flyadeal has brought to the market a new choice - which has been received very positively." "The low-fares airline will continue to expand rapidly, and the addition to the fleet aligns well with Flyadeal's target to grow its presence in the domestic market and cover new markets outside of Saudi Arabia."