Air Wisconsin adds first CRJ freighter

Air Wisconsin (ZW, Appleton) has entered the dedicated freighter market with the addition of its first CRJ200ER(F). The aircraft will enter into service later this year, before the December peak for cargo traffic, Cargo Facts has reported.

N679AC (msn 7417) is a 21.1-year-old aircraft formerly operated in passenger configuration by ASA – Atlantic Southeast Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, and Al Haya Aviation. It was re-registered back in the United States in January 2021 and was parked at Tucson Int’l airport. In March, it was repositioned to Roswell airport, where it remains ahead of service entry. The ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows the aircraft is owned by Regional One and will thus become Air Wisconsin’s first dry-leased unit.

The regional carrier currently operates sixty-four owned CRJ200s under a Capacity Purchase Agreement with United Airlines, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. It said that while it carries a small amount of cargo onboard these aircraft, the current market environment is favourable for growth into the dedicated freighter segment. It will be operating its CRJ200ER(F)s on a mix of long-term and ad hoc ACMI services, including for logistics integrators and large manufacturers. While Air Wisconsin did not outline any specific plans for its cargo business, it said that in the long-term, operating just a single freighter would not make sense. However, the airline underlined it is not interested in adding any other types to its fleet. Its passenger fleet also comprises exclusively of the CRJ200s.