Northern Aviation Services, the owner of Alaska's Northern Air Cargo (NC, Anchorage Ted Stevens), Hawaii's Aloha Air Cargo (KH, Honolulu), and Florida's StratAir (Miami International), is evaluating options to replace the B737 Classic freighters operated by the former two carriers, President and Chief Executive Betsy Seaton said during a roundtable at the ISTAT Americas conference.

"We're looking at, and we are starting the process of renewing that fleet... We're looking at B737-800s, -700s, and ATR - Avions de Transport Régional (ATR)s. I think that there's a lot of opportunity for different kinds of narrowbody freighters fitting specific needs," she was quoted by CargoFacts.

Northern Air Cargo's narrowbody fleet currently comprises one B737-300(F) (30.4 years old), one B737-300(SF) (26.7 years), and three B737-400(F)s (29.4 years on average), the ch-aviation fleets module shows. The parent holding owns the three -400(F)s, while the -300s in both variants are dry leased from Automatic Leasing, according to the ch-aviation fleets ownership module. In turn, the holding's Hawaiian outfit operates two B737-300(F)s (22.9 years old on average) and two -300(SF)s (30.7 years). The group owns all four units.

Northern Air Cargo also operates four B767-300ER(BDSF)s dry-leased from Cargo Aircraft Management. The holding recently announced a deal with Boeing to convert a further four B767-300ERs into freighters. Seaton said Northern Aviation Services had already acquired all four aircraft, even though conversions at Singapore Seletar airport are only due to begin in 2022.

"We purchased when we did because there was an opportunity to get four sisterships, and even though our conversion slots were a little bit farther out, we knew that the B767 is very scarce," she explained.

The holding verifiably owns two ex-Ethiopian Airlines jets, N563WA (msn 30563) and N566WW (msn 30566), as well as ex-MIAT - Mongolian Airlines N564WW (msn 30564). The fourth unit is most likely another ex-Ethiopian aircraft, N565WW (msn 30565).