Five Dedicated 737 Freighters to Meet Freight Demand on the Alaska System

NEW YORK – Alaska Air Cargo today announced the addition of two Boeing 737-800s to its fleet of dedicated freighters serving the State of Alaska. These additions increase the freighter fleet from three to five aircraft.

“The fleet expansion positions our growing cargo business to meet the growing demand we are seeing from industry and consumers,” said Adam Drouhard, general manager of Alaska Air Cargo. “The -800 aircraft offers more cargo space than our current -700 freighters, essentially doubling Air Cargo’s total cargo-carrying capacity. We look forward to putting these -800s into service to support the chain of supply from Alaska and connect freight to the more than 100 cities we serve across North America.”

The two aircraft converted to 737-800s will come from Alaska Airlines’ existing passenger fleet. The aircraft will be converted from their passenger configuration to an all-cargo aircraft from this year. They are expected to return to service as freighters in 2023.

The -800 aircraft offers a 40% capacity increase per departure over the current -700 aircraft with a payload of nearly 50,000 pounds. With a range of 2,800 nautical miles, the -800 will be the most fuel-efficient aircraft to serve interior Alaska.

“Alaskans have always relied on Alaska Air Cargo to provide time-critical services to their communities,” said Marilyn Romano, regional vice president, Alaska Airlines. “Whether it’s vaccines, medicine, household supplies or fresh food, our cargo ships keep rural Alaska supplied and connected. With service to 20 communities across Alaska, and only three reachable by route, the addition of new aircraft to the current freighter fleet allows for the expansion of vital services to all Alaskans.The additional cargo capacity also allows us to quickly transport seafood and other products from Alaska to points across the United States »

Alaska Air Cargo transports more than 200 million pounds of cargo annually – including seafood, mail and cargo – and operates the largest air cargo operation of any passenger airline on the West Coast the United States.

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About Alaska Air Cargo

Alaska Air Cargo serves more than 100 destinations in North America with an extensive network and more than 1,200 daily flights. Providing a variety of reliable shipping services, Alaska Air Cargo utilizes a fleet of 737 freighters serving 20 communities in the state of Alaska as well as belly cargo service on a fleet of more than 300 passenger aircraft serving the continental United States, Canada, Hawaii and Mexico. and Costa Rica.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations in the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We focus on next-level care for our customers, as well as providing low rates, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of the aworld global alliance. With the alliance and our additional airline partners, customers can travel to over 1,000 destinations on over 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to destinations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

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