As part of an unprecedented and hugely ambitious expansion plan, Icelandic cargo airline Bluebird Nordic, a member of the Avia Solutions Group, a leading global aerospace services group, has declared its intentions to add 25 x B737-800 aircraft to the company’s existing fleet by the end of 2024.
Siggi Agustsson, Bluebird Nordic’s CEO and Managing Director, cited the growing demand for cargo transport during the present pandemic as one of the main reasons behind this exciting new development in the company’s growth plan.
Currently operating a fleet of 1 x B737-300 and 7 x B737-400 full freighter aircraft, the new acquisition will see the fleet size grow to thirty-three aircraft, more than tripling its capacity in the process. The 25 new B737-800 aircraft will be a welcome addition to the existing fleet and will offer enormously increased capacity and overall efficiency in servicing its clients’ demands.
The B737-800 model can carry an additional 4 tons more than the current in-service B737-400, while also offering increased cargo volume with 1 extra pallet position on the aircraft’s main deck. Additionally, the aircraft’s advanced fuel-burn ratio and better technical reliability will position the new aircraft as a more sustainable and environmentally sensitive option for the company’s cargo customers.
This exciting and game-changing move – as part of the airline’s existing expansion plan – will place the company ahead of the curve as a leading, highly competitive cargo operator across the entire freight transport sector. As part of the expansion plan, Bluebird Nordic is confident that the B737-800 will forge its place as a mainstay of the cargo operator’s growing fleet of modern aircraft.
The first B737-800, which will be delivered by Avia Solutions Group sister company, AviaAM leasing – a global provider of tailored aircraft leasing and trading services – will join the fleet in September 2021, followed by a second in October 2021.
In the interim period while Bluebird Nordic await aircraft conversion and delivery, and as evidence of the existing synergy between companies, the aircraft will be utilised by Avion Express – the leading narrow-body ACMI charter operator and an integral part of the Avia Solutions Group of companies – for passenger flights during the busy summer season, offering extra capacity and highly competitive prices.
Bluebird Nordic’s CEO, Siggi Agustsson, said, “The arrival of 25 new B737-800s to our fleet will firmly position Nordic Bluebird at the forefront of the cargo charter market and comes as part of our existing and comprehensive expansion plan. With the growth in demand for cargo transport we are proactively responding to our customer’s increased freighter needs, and ensures that we are ready and able to meet all of their global cargo demands. Additionally, following this major expansion, Bluebird Nordic plans to develop back-offices in Lithuania and Bulgaria.”
