A Chinese cargo carrier took delivery of a new Boeing 747-ERF on Wednesday. The 747-ERF (Extended Range Freighter) is part of a deal penned in June 2005 between China Cargo Airlines and Boeing -- one more freighter for the airline will conclude the transaction.

"This new 747-400ERF is an auspicious double first for our company," said Wang Guo Cheng, president of China Cargo Airlines. "The delivery of this airplane into our fleet is all part of our ongoing effort to accommodate strong international volume growth and to allow China Cargo to continue to increase capacity on our most important international routes."

Boeing claims the 747-400 Freighter costs less per ton-mile to operate than any of its competitors. Its maximum payload is 124 tons with a maximum range of 4,970 nautical miles. The airplane sports a nose door which accommodates loading of outsize cargo and more flexibility for ground operations.

China Cargo Airlines' current fleet boasts three Boeing MD-11Fs, with plans for three more over the next two years, and one leased 747 freighter. China Cargo is 70 percent owned by China Eastern and 30 percent owned by China Ocean Shipping.

The carrier operates freighter flights to New York, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Nagasaki, Okayama and Hong Kong. Their affiliation with China Eastern gives them access to Eastern's passenger jet belly space.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.cc-air.com