Russian express carrier Atran Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-800BCF.

The Volga-Dnepr subsidiary is the first Russian operator of the type, which has recently received certification in the country.

According to Atran, the freighter has already entered service, flying goods such as perishables, e-commerce shipments and general cargo from Moscow Vnukovo to destinations in the Siberian and Far Eastern regions of Russia such as Norilsk and Yakutsk.

“We are delighted to have this new type of aircraft in our fleet,” said Dmitry Obsharov, general director of Atran Airlines. “As the upgraded version of the Boeing 737, the airplane has more technical and operational capabilities. This allows us to offer more maindeck cargo capacity thanks to the aircraft’s extended fuselage, which is six metres longer and broader, increasing the solutions we can offer for the transportation of various types of shipments, including oversized freight which can be loaded through the wider maindeck cargo door. We are confident that this new aircraft type we will be able to guarantee high-service quality for our customers, leveraging trade flows in the markets we serve, with a special focus on China-Russia routes and the emerging volumes of cross-border e-commerce and mail shipments. It will also help to increase aircraft utilization within our existing network.

The 737-800BCF can accommodate 11 standard pallets and containers in its maindeck cargo compartment. It also offers a reconfigurable cargo-handling system which can be adjusted for various types of ULDs.

Atran already operates four 737-400Fs.