TNT Express has taken delivery of its first Boeing 777 freighter to fly between Asia andEurope.
The latest aircraft in the TNT family arrived at the weekend at the company’s European air hubin Liege, Belgium, after completing final flight and ground tests at Boeing’s Everett factory,Washington State, USA.
A TNT Express spokesman told CEP-Research that the B777 will replace one of the three Boeing 747freighters that TNT operates between Asia and Europe.
The company announced last year it would lease three new Boeing 777-200 Long Range Freightersfrom Guggenheim Aviation Partners, with the other two freighters scheduled to enter service by theend of this year.
The introduction of the B777 freighters is designed to reduce reliance on commercial line-hauland external short-term contract capacity, while providing capacity to support growth in Asia.
The B777 flies farther than any other freighter, TNT noted. Its range of 4,900 nautical miles(9,070 km) at full payload allows better non-stop intercontinental flights between e.g. Shanghaiand Belgium. With its payload of ca. 103 metric tons, it carries almost as much as a 747-400Freighter, while burning less fuel, thus producing less carbon dioxide.
