Asiana Airlines has successfully acquired two Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft from Taiwan’s China Airlines worth approximately US$50.85 million.
The purchase, detailed in a regulatory filing with the South Korean stock exchange, involves two aging cargo aircraft – the 22.77-year-old N132VL and the 21.92-year-old B-18711, both currently in storage in Victorville, California.
According to brokerage firm AMS Aircraft Services, the transaction is in line with Asiana Airlines’ strategy to modernize its cargo fleet.
The South Korean airline said the investment aims to “improve punctuality and safety by replacing ageing freighter aircraft.” Excluding these new additions, Asiana’s existing freighter fleet consists of six B747-400(BDSF), four B747-400FSCD and one B767-300F, with an average fleet age of 27.7 years.
China Airlines, which is gradually disposing of its older cargo aircraft, had already announced the sale of three more B747-400 freighters to Air Atlanta Icelandic earlier this year.
While the sale of N132VL in May was completed with a loss of around US$4.37 million, the sale of B-18711 in July brought the Taiwanese airline a modest profit of US$2.2 million.
