The 767 may be a 35-year-old design, but its popularity among express firms continues to soar this month – first there was the news of Amazon’s desire to buy 20-plus 767 freighters for what is rumored to be its own air network, then there was news that SF Airlines, the air arm of China’s SF Express, received its first redelivery of a 767-300 widebody that has been converted to freighter configuration by ST Aero in Singapore.
The converted widebody is the first of five planned 767-300 passenger-to-freighter conversions that SF has ordered from Boeing. According to Air Cargo World’s sister publication Cargo Facts, sources have alleged that SF Airlines is in talks with Boeing to add another 25 production 767-300 freighters to handle the increasing e-commerce demand in China.
The “larger capacity and higher fuel efficiency” of the 767-300F were the two main reasons SF chose to enter the widebody realm, according to a statement by Liang Xi, vice president, maintenance and engineering, at SF Airlines. He also said the larger aircraft will better support the rise of e-commerce in the Chinese market, and will play a key role in adding more routes and expanding its transportation network.
Up until now, SF Airlines had only operated narrowbodies, including thirteen 757-200Fs, four 737-400Fs, and eight 737-300Fs.