Boeing and SF Airlines today celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), which is also the first owned by an airline in China.

The delivery took place at Boeing supplier ST Aerospace Services Co. in Singapore, where the conversion work was performed. It is the first of five 767BCFs the airline will receive during the next year.

"Our goal is always to provide our customers with a higher quality, highly efficient express service. This is a goal we believe the 767BCF will help us accomplish," said Xi Liang, SF Airlines Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering. "With its larger capacity and higher fuel efficiency, we look forward to the 767BCF ensuring quick shipping to our customers."

The 767-300BCF is recognized as the industry's most efficient medium wide-body twin jet freighter, with low direct operating costs, superior payload to weight ratios and Boeing's world class support.

"This delivery marks a significant milestone for SF Airlines, Boeing and the express cargo market in China," said Mike Fleming, Boeing vice president of Fleet and 787 Services. "This is another great example of Boeing's commitment to supporting Chinese cargo carriers through our converted freighter programs as they face increasing market demand."

Based in Shenzhen, SF Airlines currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 25 airplanes, and has signed a letter of intent to purchase 737-800BCFs following a program launch. The addition of the wide-body freighter to SF Airlines' fleet of Boeing 737s and 757s is one example of changes being made by the airline to better support the rapid e-commerce growth in the China market. Moving forward, the plan is to continue to add more routes and expand the company's transportation network, Liang said.

The China air express market is forecast to be among the fastest growing segments of the world air cargo market, largely due to e-commerce. According to the Boeing World Air Cargo Forecast, world air cargo traffic will grow 4.7 percent per year over the next 20 years, with domestic China and intra-Asia markets expanding 6.7 percent and 6.5 percent per year, respectively.

Contributed by Boeing