Atlas Air partners with Nippon Cargo Airlines to fly transpacific routes

New York-based air cargo operator Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings has contracted with Japan’s Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) to operate a Boeing 747-400 freighter for the Narita International Airport-based cargo carrier, the two companies announced Dec. 1.



Atlas Air said the agreement is initially for one aircraft to be flown on transpacific routes connecting Asia and the US; service is scheduled to begin in January 2017. Additional aircraft may be added to the agreement in the future, Atlas Air said.



“We look forward to providing [NCA] and its customers with [our] service and a platform for future expansion,” Atlas Air president and CEO William Flynn said.



“[As we] begin this strategic arrangement with Atlas Air … we look forward to having a long, mutually beneficial relationship,” NCA president and CEO Fukashi Sakamoto said.



Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings is the parent company of Atlas Air, Southern Air Holdings and Titan Aviation Holdings, and is the majority shareholder of Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc.



Nippon Cargo operates a fleet of eight Boeing 747-8F and five 747-400F aircraft; the airline operated 684 flights in October 2016. From its hubs in Tokyo, Osaka and Kitakyushu, NCA flies directly to Amsterdam, Milan, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Anchorage, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with connections to Frankfurt, New York JFK, Chicago O’Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth.