UPS, a global leader in logistics, said that it has ordered 14 new Boeing 747-8 cargo jets to meet the  increasing demand for the company’s air shipping services.

The aircraft will be delivered between 2017 and 2020, said a statement from the company.

However, the value of the contract, which also contains options for 14 additional jets in the future, was not disclosed.

The UPS move comes as part of its long-term strategy to increase customers’ access to global markets.
Air shipments are a major growth opportunity for the company, it stated.

The new jumbo freighters will be added to the company’s existing operating fleet of more than 500 aircraft, it added.

David Abney, UPS chairman and CEO, said: "We are making several strategic capital investments for increased global operating capacity. These investments will help enable customers to expand their presence in new and existing markets while fuelling our profitable growth and attainment of UPS’s long-term business objectives."

Abney said the 747-8s will enable UPS to begin a cascade of aircraft route reassignments that will add significant air capacity to the company’s busiest lanes, thereby optimising global air network capacity well beyond the impact of adding new cargo jets.

The 747-8 freighters carry 34 shipping containers on its main deck and 14 in its lower compartments. They have a cargo capacity of 307,600 pounds, or approximately 30,000 packages and a range of 4,340 nautical miles. The new aircraft line has a strong industry safety and reliability record.

“We benefit from the youngest fleet in the industry and we are continuously investing for both operating safety and efficiency,” said Brendan Canavan, UPS Airlines president.

“This investment supports our customers’ future capacity needs while also reducing fuel use and emissions, which enhances UPS Airlines’ position as an industry leader in sustainability,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service