Southern Air (2nd) (Anchorage) today took delivery of its fourth new Boeing 777-FZB (N777SA, msn 37989).
The new aircraft will be immediately inducted into service for DHL Express on the shipper’s new round-the-world service from Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Leipzig, Germany and back to Hong Kong. The new route reduces shipping time from Asia-Pacific and the U.S. West Coast to one day and extends cargo pick-up times for U.S. suppliers shipping to Europe. Southern Air’s third 777F began flying this route earlier this month, and its first two have flown the Cincinnati-Bahrain-Hong Kong route for DHL since September 2011.
Over the last two years, Southern Air has embarked upon an aggressive transformation from a pure 747-200F cargo airline with an average fleet age of 33 years to a highly reliable, fuel efficient fleet of 777Fs and 747SFs, with plans to introduce several 747-400F factory freighters by 2013. By the end of next year, the Company is targeting an average fleet age of less than 7 years. In total, Southern Air’s fleet currently includes fourteen 777Fs and 747s designed for global long-haul cargo shipments.
The fourth 777F is painted, like the first three, in combined DHL and Southern Air livery.
Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Sister-ship N714SA is painted in the same way as N777SA.
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