WestJet receives Its First Converted Boeing 737 Freighter

Canadian carrier WestJet has diversified its day-to-day operations by taking delivery of its first Boeing 737-800BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter). The aircraft arrived at Calgary International Airport (YYC), which serves as one of three main hubs for Canada's second-largest airline, yesterday, after a multi-leg trip from China.

A long journey

In a statement released accompanying the news of the aircraft's arrival, WestJet confirmed that it bears the serial number 34686. Having completed its conversion in Guangzhou, China, data from Planespotters.net shows that the plane had an interesting journey over to Canada. The first leg took it from Guangzhou to Tokyo.

The next leg was the longest of the delivery flight, with the aircraft flying non-stop over the Pacific Ocean to Anchorage, in the northwestern US state of Alaska. Finally, it completed the trip by flying from Anchorage to Calgary, with the arrival on Canadian soil taking place on April 7th. Alexis von Hoensbroech, the recently-appointed CEO of WestJet, welcomed its arrival, stating that:

"The delivery of our first freighter to our home base in Calgary, Alberta gives us great confidence in the growth and development of our commercial cargo service and I am eager to see our new dedicated commercial cargo service take flight as we begin providing competitive services to cargo customers across Canada."

Cargo is becoming increasingly important

The delivery of WestJet's first Boeing 737-800BCF represents the first of four such aircraft that the airline hopes to have in service by the end of the year. This will see cargo play an increasingly important role at WestJet, following its announcement regarding a dedicated cargo division last year, back in July 2021.

The airline is working with BBAM Limited Partnership, from whom it will lease the aircraft, to enable this new aspect of its operations. BBAM's President and CEO, Steve Zissis, revealed that WestJet is the first North American carrier to whom it has leased a Boeing 737-800BCF. Alexis von Hoensbroech added that:

"WestJet Cargo's mission is to provide our customers with the reliable on-time performance and competitive cost advantage synonymous with the WestJet brand and I look forward to our continued partnership with BBAM, as we witness our dedicated freighters provide our customers increased reliability, flexibility and capacity to transport their diverse shipments to their chosen destination."

The aircraft in question

In terms of the operational history of the aircraft that has the honor of being WestJet's first Boeing 737-800BCF, data from ch-aviation.com shows that the 16-year-old twinjet began life at Hapagfly in March 2006. A year later, it was transferred to the German arm of leisure carrier TUI Fly, which flew it until April 2021.

Having initially been registered as D-ATUE, data from ATDB.aero shows that, after this, it was re-registered as EI-GWE, N686BB, and finally 2-BPDL under the ownership of BBAM. A quick look at FlightRadar24.com suggests that it flew from Lleida, Spain to Guangzhou via Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan in November 2021. Its conversion began shortly after, and took around four months.