FLEET - Serve Air Cargo (Congo DR) is set to take delivery of another B737-800SF, serial 30517, following a conversion by Aeronautical Engineers (US)

The carrier plans to add up to six more converted B737-800F in the coming years.

First: Express Air Cargo / B737-8Q8(SF) / TS-ICD

Dave Corry
 

The new Boeing 737-8Q8(SF)(WL) SE-RLJ of West Atlantic Sweden wears the new livery based in the owner of tjhe airline, Swiftair

José Ramon Valero

Chrono Aviation to add B737-800SF

According to a press-release from AEI, Chrono Aviation has signed a contract for the conversion of a single B737-800 into a B737-800SF. The aircraft in question, C-GCAI (30478) has been acquired by Chrono in November and will start its conversion in June 2022. Delivery is planned at the end of next year.

Chrono Aviation currently operates a fleet consisting of seven PC-12s, two Beech 1900Ds, as well as a single DHC-8-100 and three B737-200s.

Illustration by AEI.

 

1st aircraft for Compass Air Cargo

 

On 9 August, Compass Air Cargo took delivery of its first aircraft, a recently converted B737-800SF. It's currently registered as N288LR (28826) but will be entering the Bulgarian registry soon as Compass is a new Bulgarian airline. It arrived at Sofia on this date after a ferry flight that started on 7 August from Dothan (AL) with stops at Bangor (ME) and Shannon.

Details about the new airline are a bit sketchy at the moment but we expect this airline to be the new joint-venture Mesa Air Group from the US was planning to launch in Europe with Gramercy Associates Ltd. and was announced in March. Originally, the plan was to operate CRJ900s on ACMI-flights but as this B737-800 has been registered to Mesa in January and is part of their contract to operate it for DHL, it seems the plans have changed.

Photo by GA Telesis.

Scramble

Bluebird Nordic plans fleet expansion

Icelandic cargo carrier Bluebird Nordic plans a massive fleet expansion with 25 B737-800SFs. All additional aircraft should be delivered by the end of 2024.

The airline, founded in 1999, is currently operating a fleet of one B737-300F and seven B737-400Fs. Bluebird Cargo offers cargo and ACMI-operations and is part of the Avia Solutions Group which also owns Avion Express and SmartLynx.

It's interesting to note that Avia Solution Group will add the aircraft already in the coming two years and will, until conversion, market them for ACMI-operations via Avion Express. After conversion the B737-800SFs will be transferred to Bluebird Nordic.

Illustration by Avia Solutions Group.