UPS has ordered 14 new Boeing 747-8 cargo jets to meet increased demand for the company’s air shipping services. The company’s long-term strategy is to increase access to global markets, and air shipments present a major growth opportunity for the company. The 747-8s will enable UPS to begin a process of aircraft route reassignments that will add significant air capacity to the company’s busiest lanes.
David Abney, UPS chairman and CEO, said, “UPS is making several strategic capital investments for increased global operating capacity. These investments will help enable customers to expand their presence in new and existing markets while fueling our profitable growth and attainment of UPS’s long-term business objectives.”
The 14 aircraft are to be delivered between 2017 and 2020. The value of the contract, which also contains options for 14 additional jets in the future, was not disclosed. The new jumbo freighters will be added to the company’s existing operating fleet of more than 500 aircraft.
The 747-8 freighters carry 34 shipping containers on its main deck and 14 in its lower compartments. The aircraft has a maximum cargo capacity of 307,600 lb, the equivalent of approximately 30,000 packages, and a range of 4,340 nautical miles.
Brendan Canavan, president, UPS Airlines, said, “We benefit from the youngest fleet in the industry and we are continuously investing for both operating safety and efficiency. This investment supports our customers’ future capacity needs while also reducing fuel use and emissions, which enhances UPS Airlines’s position as an industry leader in sustainability.”
November 1, 2016