Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a long-term, dedicated charter agreement to operate two of its new incoming Boeing 747-8 freighters on a global basis for Kuehne+Nagel.

Atlas Air said it will commence operation of these aircraft for the freight forwarder following the delivery of the aircraft from Boeing, with one expected in the third quarter and the second in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Atlas Air operates one of the world's largest fleets of 747-8Fs. These two aircraft placed with Kuehne+Nagel are the last 747s Boeing will produce.

Atlas ordered the last four 747 production aircraft to capitalize on strong demand and deliver value for its customers, while also boosting its environmental commitment through the reduction of aircraft emissions, resource consumption and noise.

"We are delighted to expand our partnership with Kuehne+Nagel by providing dedicated capacity for their growing global airfreight network," said John W. Dietrich, Atlas Air Worldwide president and chief executive officer.

"The Boeing 747-8F serves an incredibly important role in global airfreight, with advanced technology that allows for lower fuel consumption, higher capacity and unique nose-loading capability. We look forward to taking delivery of these two 747s and operating them for Kuehne+Nagel to support their network for years to come," he added.

Yngve Ruud, member of the management board of Kuehne+Nagel, responsible for Air Logistics, for his part also welcomed the deal — noting how it will further boost its capacity.

"As a market leader in airfreight, Kuehne+Nagel further expands its dedicated charter network to support customers with solutions for long-term planning and high-quality service. We are proud to partner with Atlas Air and include these two new Boeing 747-8Fs in our already extensive global capacity offering," Ruud said.

The 747-8F provides 20% higher payload capacity and 16% lower fuel consumption than the very capable 747-400F.