As one of the next steps in the development of its cargo business, Azul Linhas Aéreas noted that it is looking to acquire the Airbus A321F to replace the Boeing 737-400F in the near future. The information was given by the director of Azul Cargo Express, Izabel Reis.
According to the executive, with the expiration of the 737 leasing contracts scheduled for 2023, it will be the ideal moment to reinforce the fleet of a business that has shown substantial growth in recent years. One of the examples mentioned was the increase in e-commerce shipments, going from 2,000 to 4,000 packages per day since last year.
As reported by our partner site AEROIN, the company invested in the temporary adaptation of the main cabin of several Embraer E195-E1s to transport cargo instead of passengers. This gave the E-Jet a payload capacity of 6 tons. However, the current plan contemplates removing the rest of the seats and being able to transport up to 10 tons in each plane.
Meanwhile, Boeings still fly a lot, but they also end up spending a lot of time in maintenance due to their advanced age. According to data from Azul, its -400F fleet flies an average of 9 hours a day, compared to a world average of 3 to 4 hours of use of jets of the same model.
A natural replacement, according to internal studies, is the A321F, whose first models already converted have shown excellent performance around the world. Additionally, by operating Airbus aircraft, Azul will take advantage of model interchangeability, as the company already operates the A320 passenger family.
In capacity terms, the Airbus A321 P2F (Airbus conversion project) can carry 28 tonnes up to 3,800 kilometers, while the current Boeing 737-400F can carry around 21 tonnes over the same distance.
«In order to fulfill the contracts, we are now looking at the Airbus A321F,» said the executive. Today, the Boeing 737-400F is the only aircraft from the US manufacturer that is in Azul’s fleet, which is dominated by Embraer and Airbus aircraft.
