In December, Aerolíneas Argentinas announced the arrival of two Boeing 737-800BCF cargo jets, ending a 16-year hiatus without dedicated aircraft in its fleet.
At the time, the state-owned carrier did not disclose details of the agreement, but it is now known that the two aircraft will be leased from lessor Macquarie AirFinance.
The two 737s converted to cargo already have known Argentine registrations, LV-CTC and LV-KHQ. Both jets were built and delivered by Boeing in 2001 and had a long career in passenger flights before being converted to freighters.
The LV-CTC will make its second pass through the Aerolíneas Argentina fleet. The company operated the aircraft in a passenger configuration between 2011 and 2021. The conversion into a freighter was carried out in 2022.
The 737 registration LV-KHQ started its career in Brazil. First flying for the extinct Varig, which used the jet with the PP-VSA registration from 2001 to 2006, when the company ended its activities.
After spending a year in the United States, the aircraft returned to Brazil to fly with Gol Linhas Aéreas between 2007 and 2015, with the registration PR-GIP. Subsequently, the jet flew with the Italian companies Meridiana, Air Italy and Neos until it was converted into a freighter by Boeing in late 2021.
Based on the 737 NG series (the version that preceded the 737 MAX), the 737-800BCF has the capacity to carry 22 tons of cargo.
