S7 Airlines (S7, Novosibirsk) has taken delivery of B737-800(BCF) VP-BEN (msn 33545), its first-ever dedicated freighter. According to Flightradar24 ADS-B data, it arrived at Moscow Domodedovo from Ostrava on February 18.
The ch-aviation fleets history module shows the 18.3-year-old Boeing narrowbody was delivered to Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) in 2002 and remained there until 2019 when it was withdrawn from passenger service. It subsequently underwent P2F-conversion in China in 2020 before being returned to Europe earlier this year.
“With the delivery of the first Boeing 737-800BCF, a new phase in the development of S7 Airlines cargo transportation segment begins. The airline sees serious prospects in this area against the background of a rapid development in e-commerce demand. We plan to use it on medium-haul routes, where we have noted a lack of capacity in the luggage and cargo compartments of passenger aircraft in relation to demand,” Ilya Yaroslavtsev, CEO of S7 Cargo, said in a statement.
VP-BEN's first flights are planned for the end of February from Moscow to Norilsk and Yakutsk. After that, it will be used to connect Moscow and Novosibirsk to Russia's northern and Far Eastern districts, including Mirnyj and Vladivostok as well as Frankfurt International in Germany.
S7 is expecting a second B737-800(BCF) to arrive as per a contract signed with GECAS in August last year.
