747 Freighters Fuel Strong Maintenance Demand

HAECO’s recent services agreement with SF Airlines for C checks on its Boeing 747 freighter fleet further emphasizes the sustained strong demand for reliable maintenance services for 747s.

The agreement, announced April 14, covers three Boeing 747 base maintenance events scheduled for this year and long-term hangar slot reservations for an additional ten events spanning 2026-30.

Since September 2024, HAECO Hong Kong has been carrying out C checks on SF Airlines’ fleet of four 747-400Fs, and the latest agreement, strategically secures future hangar slots to support the Chinese cargo carrier’s operations.

At this stage in its career, the 747-400F does not benefit from the longer airframe check intervals seen on newer widebodies, so intermediate and heavy checks will be more frequent. Landing gears are at 10-yr. intervals and will always be calendar driven, so in this regard the model remains competitive, an analyst suggests.

Meanwhile, Atlas Air operates a significant fleet of 747 freighters, including both the 747-400F and newer 747-8Fs. According to Aviation Week Network’s 2025 Commercial Fleet and MRO Forecast, Atlas Air will operate 41 747-400s and 11 747-8Fs by the end of this year.

Given its long-term preference for General Electric-powered aircraft (Atlas even converted Pratt & Whitney JT9D powered 747-200Fs to GE CF6-50E engines in the 1990s when it operated earlier generation 747s), it comes as no surprise that all of Atlas Air’s active 747-400Fs are powered by GE CF6-80 engines, according to Aviation Week’s forecast.

According to technical sources, the GE CF6-80C2B1F engine continues to demonstrate strong reliability and competitive shop visit intervals, with expectations of no fewer than 3,000 cycles between major overhauls. However, like many other engines, the CF6-80 has not been immune to the recent surge in materials and labor costs in addition to long lead times for inducting engines into shop visits.

Atlas Air likely has a large pool of GE CF6-80C2B1F engines and will no doubt carefully manage and swap them among airframes when they reach maintenance events to reduce downtime.

Maintaining older aircraft requires significant upkeep, particularly as suppliers increasingly prioritize newer passenger models. With certain parts for 747-400 freighters becoming costly or hard to obtain, it would not be surprising if Atlas turned to salvaging retired aircraft for spare parts to sustain the operation of its remaining freighters.

Atlas added eight large widebody freighters to its fleet in 2024, all operating with long-term customers and generating revenue. These include four 747-400s, three 747-8s and one 777, according to a representative for the airline. Three more 777 freighters are in the pipeline to enter service this year, the company says.

Notably, Kuehne+Nagel operates two Boeing 747-8Fs under six-year lease agreements. These were the last two -8Fs ever delivered by Boeing.

“There is currently a supply-demand imbalance for large widebody freighters—and the gap is set to widen,” Atlas warned, citing looming retirements and a limited influx of new aircraft.

Crucially for Atlas and its customers, the carrier operates several newer 747-8Fs and 777Fs and maintains that none of its large widebody aircraft fall within the typical 30-yr. retirement window. This suggests the airline does not anticipate any significant fleet retirements this decade—a signal that demand for maintenance and support services is likely to remain strong in the years ahead.