FARCARGO TO AIR FREIGHT FAROESE SALMON TO USA

FarCargo to air freight Faroese salmon to USA. Just before the end of the year, FarCargo, a subsidiary of Faroese salmon farmer Bakkafrost, took possession of an aircraft that was acquired from the USA earlier in 2023.

As a part of the Bakkafrost Group, the purpose for the aircraft is to deliver salmon to distant markets, where food waste is a critical element, in perishable foods such as fresh salmon. The Faroe Islands are located remotely in the North Atlantic, and with a large export of fresh seafood, market access and efficient logistics are crucial to maintaining the competitive advantage of and the ability to deliver the best quality to the customers

The aircraft is a Boeing 757-200 from 2001 and has been operated by American Airlines as a passenger flight since its beginning. The aircraft has been repurposed for cargo operations and can hold up to 35tons or 230cubic meter of cargo.

The aircraft is equipped with energy efficient winglets and RNP 0.13 technology, making it well suitable for flight operations to and from the Faroe Islands. The aircraft’s cargo hull has been modified to hold refrigerated cargo.

The aircraft will now undergo a process to transfer the registration from FAA to EASA. FarCargo has made an agreement with the Swedish airline West Atlantic, to operate the aircraft under its AOC, on behalf of FarCargo, until FarCargo is able to obtain an AOC.

The initial flight operation will be in Europe, to allow the flight crews and technical personnel to get comfortable with the aircraft and to obtain all necessary certificates and permits. Once this is complete, the aircraft will start cargo operation between Faroes and the US. The flight will be between FAE in the Faroe Islands, KEF in Iceland, EWR in New Jersey, US and BLL in Denmark. The route will start up slow, but will gradually expand to multiple departures every week.

FarCargo will use a share of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) in its operation. This means that FarCargo will participate in developing the SAF fuel, to mitigate the environmental impacts from the aviation industry. The goal is to increase the share if SAF in the fuel, as much as the technology and market conditions allow for.

FarCargo currently has a crew of 8 members to operate the aircraft, and all have been certified to operate the 757. FarCargo plans to hire additional crew members as the operation ramps up.

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