Thu, May 31, 2007
Carrier Slated To Receive Three Planes
On Wednesday, Boeing and Air France celebrated the impending
redelivery of a 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighter to Air France,
the first of three BCFs scheduled for redelivery to the airline in
2007. The first redelivery is set to take place Monday.
The second of the three 747-400s to be converted was inducted in
May and is scheduled for redelivery in August.
"This 747-400BCF and the two that will follow add critical lift
capacity to Air France. These three aircraft will help us to
accelerate the replacement of our ageing 747-200Fs and are the
perfect interim solution while we wait for the entry in service of
the 777F aircraft." said Pierre Vellay, senior vice president of
New Aircraft and Corporate Fleet Planning for Air France. "In
addition, the fact that it is a Boeing conversion gives us
confidence that we'll have the support we need."
Air France's first redelivery is the 14th for the program since
the first 747-400BCF redelivery went to Cathay Pacific in December
2005 (shown below), and it is the first combi-to-freighter
conversion for the program. Including orders for 11 747-400BCF
kits, a total of eight carriers have ordered 49 747-400BCFs. The
kits include all of the necessary parts and engineering, but
carriers manage their own touch labor.
"We strive to understand the needs of our customers, and we're
confident that the 747-400BCF is precisely the airplane that will
satisfy Air France," said Dan da Silva, vice president of Sales and
Marketing for Boeing Commercial Aviation Services.
Under the BCF program, Boeing manages every aspect of the
conversion process from design and production through redelivery.
And after a carrier receives its BCF, Boeing supports the
redelivered airplane as if it were a brand new airplane entering
service. Air France's first 747-400BCF was inducted in February of
this year into Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Co. (TAECO) in
Xiamen, China, for the hands-on modification work.
The 747-400 is one of three Boeing airplane models available as
Boeing Converted Freighters. The other two are the MD-11BCF (a line
inherited by Boeing after the planemaker's merger with
McDonnell Douglas in 1997) and the 767-300BCF.
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