Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., announced it has taken delivery of a Boeing 747-8 freighter, which will operate on behalf of its customer Cainiao, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, as part of a previously announced long-term agreement.

Atlas said the aircraft will increase capacity on routes between China and the Americas.

This aircraft is the first of four new 747-8 freighters that Atlas expects to receive from Boeing this year.

"The addition of this 747-8F expands service for Cainiao between China, the United States, Brazil, and Chile aboard the most capable, technologically advanced, and environmentally-friendly widebody freighter, providing 20% higher payload capacity and 16% lower fuel consumption than the very capable 747-400F," Atlas said in a statement.

As previously announced, Atlas' investment in these new aircraft underscores its commitment to environmental protection through the reduction of aircraft emissions, resource consumption, and noise.

Atlas noted that the 747-8 is the only factory-built freighter with nose-loading capability in production, which will serve the long-term needs of the airfreight market.

"These four new 747-8s allow us to offer our customers significant growth opportunities to capitalize on strong demand and deliver value on what we consider among the best and most versatile widebody freighters in the market," said Michael T. Steen, executive vice president, and chief commercial officer, Atlas Air Worldwide.

"We are pleased that the first of our new 747s will be placed on a long-term basis with Cainiao, as they continue strengthening their presence as a global e-Commerce logistics leader, and we look forward to continuing supporting their growth and expansion."

Supporting the booming e-commerce

Dandy Zhang, commercial director of Cainiao's Cross-border business, noted increasing demand for e-commerce transport in its operations.

"As a global smart logistics company, Cainiao has been consistently enhancing our logistics services to satisfy the booming demand for e-Commerce in the Americas," he said.

"We have been operating daily chartered flights linking China and the Americas since last year, in partnership with Atlas Air, and now we are excited to embrace the new 747-8 freighter as a token of commitment to serve our global customers with sustainable and efficient logistics," the Cainiao executive added.