Bakkafrost’s salmon jet arrives

Bakkafrost’s plan to launch its own in-company air salmon delivery service, FarCargo, is moving ahead. The company’s new subsidiary has taken possession of a Boeing 757-200 aircraft (pictured) acquired from the United States last year.

The aircraft, which has a crew of eight, has arrived in the Danish capital Copenhagen in order to be transferred to the European flight register.

It had previously been operated by American Airlines as a passenger jet, but has been repurposed for cargo operations and can hold up to 35 tonnes or 230 cubic metres of cargo.

The plane is equipped with energy efficient winglets and RNP (Required Navigation Performance) 0.13 technology which helps to keep it on a precise flight path. Bakkafrost said the plane’s specifications make it very suitable for flight operations to and from the Faroe Islands. The aircraft’s cargo hull (pictured, below) has been modified to hold refrigerated cargo.

Bakkafrost said it will now undergo a process to transfer the registration. FarCargo has made an agreement with the Swedish airline West Atlantic, to operate the aircraft under its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on behalf of FarCargo, until FarCargo is able to obtain an AOC.

Initially the aircraft will operate in Europe, to allow the flight crews and technical personnel to get comfortable with it and to obtain all necessary certificates and permits.

Once this is completed, FarCargo will start flying between the Faroes and the United States. Bakkafrost said there will initially be a limited number of flights, but this will gradually expand to multiple departures every week.

Bakkafrost added: “This new air cargo operation will open up new possibilities for the Faroese market for perishables and other express shipments. The opportunities for imports from the US and Europe improve significantly.”

Bakkafrost decided back in 2021 to invest in its own airfreight service, to bypass expensive transport hubs such as London.

The hull of FarCargo’s Boeing 757-200 has been modified to hold refrigerated cargo