Atlas Air has taken delivery of a Boeing 777 freighter, which it will operate with the logo of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA, as part of a previously announced long-term ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) agreement.

This is the third of four B777Fs that Atlas Air will operate for MSC, which will complement the existing weekly service and add an additional route from Hong Kong (HKG) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) in Texas. A fourth aircraft is expected to be delivered later this year.

Atlas had earlier ordered 2 more Boeing 777Fs, citing strong customer demand for dedicated large widebody airfreight capacity, particularly for cross-border e-commerce shipping.

“These come at a time when retirements of older widebody freighters will significantly increase and when the introduction of new widebody freighter capacity will be limited,” said Michael Steen, CEO of Atlas Air.

“We have a deep pipeline of prospective customers interested in these 777 Freighters, and we’re confident in our ability to place them under long-term agreements,” he noted.