All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced that it has reached a agreement with Boeing for its aircraft order which includes two of the planemaker's recently launched B777-8 freighter aircraft.

ANA said it has converted two of its previous commitments to Boeing for 20 of its B777-9 passenger planes into the new freighter model.

"ANA HOLDINGS INC. announced that it has reached an agreement with The Boeing Company to convert two orders for the Boeing 777-9 aircraft to Boeing 777-8F cargo aircraft, and finalized its existing purchase agreement for 30 Boeing 737-8 aircraft," the Japanese airline said.

Plans to expand cargo

ANA then signaled its plans to expand its cargo services with the additional freighter plane orders.

"At a meeting of the Board of Directors held today on July 11, ANA decided to convert two of the 20 Boeing 777-9 aircraft that had been initially announced on March 27, 2014, with Boeing 777-8F cargo aircraft. The aircraft will be introduced into service on/after fiscal 2028," ANA said.

"The announcement reflects ANA HD’s plan to further expand its cargo business through securing large freighters and to replace the domestic fleet’s smaller planes with more fuel-efficient aircraft that will serve as the foundation for future growth," it added.

ANA currently operates nine B-767 freighters and two B777 freighters. The B777-8F has a range of 8,167 km and a maximum payload of 118 metric tons. 

ANA noted that the Boeing 777-8F is a "state-of-the-art freighter" that has the largest cargo capacity of any twin-engine aircraft, and has reduced CO2 emissions and operational costs that uses less fuel per ton.

ANA earlier reported record cargo revenues with international cargo revenue doubling to JPY329 billion (US$2.4 billion) and freight carried also mounted by 49.1% as more shippers turn to air due to persisting congestion issues in the ocean.