FarCargo Takes Delivery of First Cargo Aircraft for Salmon Transport Operations

Published: Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Faroe Islands-based fish farmer Bakkafrost subsidiary FarCargo has taken delivery of its first cargo aircraft as it prepares to start operations transporting salmon.

The new airline, which closed a deal to purchase the Boeing 757-200 last August, received the aircraft at the end of December.

FarCargo said: “The aircraft has been repurposed for cargo operations and can hold up to 35 tons or 230 cu m of cargo.”

“The aircraft’s cargo hull has been modified to hold refrigerated cargo,” added the airline.

FarCargo said the 757-200 arrived in Copenhagen on January 17 to be transferred to the European flight register – from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

FarCargo has made an agreement with West Atlantic for the Swedish airline to operate the aircraft under its AOC, on behalf of FarCargo, until FarCargo is able to obtain an AOC.

The initial flight operation will be in Europe, to allow time for the flight crews and technical personnel to become familiar with the aircraft and to obtain all necessary certificates and permits.

Following this, FarCargo will operate between Vágar airport in the Faroe Islands and Newark International Airport in New York, via Keflavik Airport in Iceland. The return flight from Newark to Vágar will operate via Billund Airport in Denmark.

The route will gradually expand to multiple departures every week.

FarCargo will offer cargo to European and Faroese customers through local freight forwarders. FarCargo has made an agreement with ECS Group’s Nordic GSA, which will offer out cargo space to freight forwarders from Newark to Billund, and to the Faroe Islands.

This new air cargo operation offers potential for other Faroese market perishables exports and express shipments, said the airline.

FarCargo will use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in its fuel and aims to increase the percentage of SAF “as much as the technology and market conditions allow for”.