British cargo airline One Air has added a third Boeing 747 freighter to its fleet to meet strong demand for cargo capacity in Asia and Europe.

The Boeing 747-400ERF has joined One Air — as it entered its second year of operations — on a five-year lease from AeroTransCargo FZE and completed its first flight for the airline on September 13 from Hong Kong to East Midlands Airport.  

An original Boeing-built freighter, it is the first aircraft in One Air's fleet to offer a nose door as well as a side door for loading and unloading.

The 400ERF version also offers a higher payload capacity of up to 124,000kgs.         

One Air commenced B747F flights in July 2023 after receiving its AOC certification from the UK Civil Aviation Authority and added a second 747-400 aircraft to its fleet in December to support its growing flying programme between China/Hong Kong and Europe. 

The airline's first 12 months of charter operations included flights from airports across the UK, including London Heathrow, London Stansted, East Midlands Airport, Birmingham, Doncaster/Sheffield, Glasgow Prestwick, and Cardiff.

One Air's 747s have also served points in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, notably Almaty, Amsterdam, Astana, Châteauroux, Hahn, Hong Kong, Jinan, Larnaca, Maastricht-Aachen, Muscat, Shannon, and Singapore.

Most recently, in addition to ad hoc charter flights, One Air has been operating a contract for seven 747F flights a week ex Hong Kong into Europe carrying general cargo. 

The cargo carrier noted that this strong demand also reflects the successful commercial activities of Air One Aviation, the airline's launch global sales agency.

"Our business case was always based on the high demand we saw for a British cargo airline, and this is being borne out by the volume of flights we are operating," said Paul Bennett, One Air’s chairman & CEO.

"The arrival of our third 747 400 and its increased capacity and capability will enable us to provide more availability to our growing client base. We are also pressing ahead with our future fleet plans and expect to add at least one more freighter in the first half of 2025 based on our current growth plan," he added.

In support of its third aircraft, One Air has recruited 27 more flight crew and support staff, bringing the total workforce at its UK headquarters to over 125 aviation and cargo professionals.

Earlier this year, One Air announced it was starting regular flights using East Midlands Airport (EMA) for UK flight operations.

"With its favourable slot availability and fewer restrictions for all-cargo aircraft, the central UK airport is now the destination point for One Air's weekly flights from Hong Kong," the cargo carrier said.

One Air earlier announced that it is planning to double its freighter fleet by the end of 2025.

The cargo carrier connected 28 global airports and carried over 17 million kilos of cargo.

One Air operated its inaugural flight on July 24, 2023, carrying a 100-tonne payload from Jinan-Shandong in eastern China to London Heathrow.