Alaska Air Cargo is expanding its freighter fleet with two additional Boeing 737-800 P2F aircraft which would raise the number of its aircraft from three to five.

Alaska Airlines Cargo said the two 737-800 converted planes are from Alaska Airlines' existing passenger fleet.

The passenger to freighter conversion is expected to begin this year and is expected to reenter service as freighters in 2023.

"Our dedicated freighter capacity will essentially double in 2023 when we add two 737-800 aircraft to our Alaska Air Cargo fleet, giving us five scheduled freighters serving the state of Alaska and connecting to the Lower 48," the carrier said in a statement.

Alaska noted that the 737-800s when converted offer more main deck and belly-load space – and higher fuel efficiency – than the three 737-700 freighters currently in its fleet.

It also provides a 40% capacity increase per departure over the current -700 freighters with a payload of nearly 50,000 pounds.

"The timing couldn't be better," said Adam Drouhard, managing director for Alaska Air Cargo. "Fleet expansion positions our growing cargo business to meet the increased demand that we see from industry and consumers."

The additional aircraft will increase the reliability of our scheduled freighter service to 20 communities across the state of Alaska.

Drouhard said the freighter fleet growth is part of a "broader expansion of cargo" opportunities across the carrier's 100-city network,

Alaska Air Cargo transports more than 200 million pounds of cargo annually – including seafood, mail, and freight.