 |
| The first MD phased out of the fleet in Jan 2014: D-ALCO |
Lufthansa Cargo plans to phase out two of its MD-11s next year in an effort to limit capacity growth.
“We
don’t see at the moment how we can grow profitably using two additional
freighters,” CEO Karl-Ulrich Garnadt said in an interview.
The
decision is bad news for the cargo industry as it signals that one of
its most prominent players does not believe the sector will recover
soon.
The airline is taking delivery of its first Boeing 777F in
October and its second in November. Lufthansa Cargo had not indicated
whether it would use the aircraft for replacement or growth; now it has
given its answer.
The carrier currently operates 18 MD-11Fs. While
it has not grounded any aircraft during the past two years of weak
cargo demand, it has reduced utilization across the fleet. It is now
flying the equivalent of only 16 aircraft.
Lufthansa Cargo’s MD-11
fleet is made up of 18 aircraft, but there are three sub-fleets. It has
ordered 14 directly from Boeing, the last MD-11s produced and delivered
between 1998 and 2001. The airline also operates two ex-VASP/Varig and
two ex-Alitalia aircraft. The two ex-Alitalia aircraft (D-ALCR and
D-ALCS) are now being sold. They were originally delivered to the
Italian airline as passenger aircraft in 1994 and were converted to
freighters in 2004. Lufthansa Cargo says maintenance costs for the two
are higher than for the rest of the fleet and they also have some
operational limits because of the smaller cargo doors on the lower deck.
Company officials say the aircraft will likely be sold for spares
rather than to another operator.
Lufthansa Cargo has not given a
timeline for further MD-11 retirements, and says it will continue to
operate the fleet for several years. However, there is some uncertainty
around the future all-cargo fleet since the carrier has only placed
orders for five 777Fs. Traditionally, the airline has carried around 50%
of its freight in dedicated cargo aircraft and the other half as belly
freight on board Lufthansa’s passenger aircraft. Should the market
continue to be weak, that balance could start to shift.
Yet active MDs in LH Cargo's fleet:
| 48414 | 491 | MD-11 F | 15/01/2005 | D-ALCP | |
| 48581 | 565 | MD-11 F | 21/12/2004 | D-ALCR | |
| 48630 | 567 | MD-11 F | 05/02/2005 | D-ALCS | |
| 48781 | 625 | MD-11 F | 25/06/1998 | D-ALCA | |
| 48782 | 626 | MD-11 F | 25/06/1998 | D-ALCB | |
| 48783 | 627 | MD-11 F | 13/08/1998 | D-ALCC | |
| 48784 | 628 | MD-11 F | 17/09/1998 | D-ALCD | |
| 48785 | 629 | MD-11 F | 22/10/1998 | D-ALCE | |
| 48798 | 637 | MD-11 F | 27/08/1999 | D-ALCF | |
| 48799 | 639 | MD-11 F | 12/10/1999 | D-ALCG | |
| 48800 | 641 | MD-11 F | 27/01/2000 | D-ALCI | |
| 48801 | 640 | MD-11 F | 24/11/1999 | D-ALCH | |
| 48802 | 642 | MD-11 F | 23/03/2000 | D-ALCJ | |
| 48803 | 643 | MD-11 F | 31/05/2000 | D-ALCK | |
| 48804 | 644 | MD-11 F | 24/08/2000 | D-ALCL | |
| 48805 | 645 | MD-11 F | 22/02/2001 | D-ALCM | |
| 48806 | 646 | MD-11 F | 25/01/2001 | D-ALCN |
Source:
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/avd_08_27_2013_p04-01-610126.xml
http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Lufthansa-active-md11.htm
Nincsenek megjegyzések:
Megjegyzés küldése