JAL sets Kalitta record straight
23-Jan-2008 : JAL is in negotiations with US carrier Kalitta Air concerning the sale of its entire 747-400 passenger aircraft. The Japanese carrier sold one B747-400BCF to Kalitta at the end of last year, for delivery in 2009.
“I can confirm that JAL is selling one of its 747-400BCF to Kalitta for delivery on May 2009. We are also in negotiations with Kalitta to sell all 747-400 passenger aircraft. No plans to sell any other aircraft to them at the moment,” said Stephen Pearlman, JAL spokesperson.
The carrier will look to replace the converted freighter despite reports that it will not expand its fleet. “We are examining as one option the possibility of replacing the BCF we sell to Kalitta at some later stage with a new freighter aircraft,” said Pearlman.
“Under the backdrop of high fuel prices we are concentrating all of our efforts on making our cargo business profitable in the short term, and this is one of the reasons why we have decided to sell one of our -BCF to Kalitta.
“By the end of FY2007 (ending March 31, 2008) we will have retired seven B747 classics and introduced two more 747-400BCF and three 767-300Fs . The total number of freighters in our fleet will be 12. We have no current plans to buy more 767Fs or the 747-8Fs.