All Nippon Airways (ANA) will introduce two Boeing 777 Freighters to its fleet in response to the expanding market in Asia, China and North America.

The aircraft will be capable of transporting oversized cargo and special items such as aircraft engines, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, lithium batteries and pharmaceuticals in large quantities.

Delivery is scheduled for 2019 and the aircraft, which will use GE90-110B1L engines, will have a range of 9,070 kilometres.

In November 2017 ANA became the first airline in Japan to be awarded the IATA CEIV Pharma certificate, recognising its handling of pharmaceutical products at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.

The airline has also been extending partnerships this year, with its cargo joint venture with United Airlines entering the second phase to cover transpacific flights from the US and Canada to Japan in February.

In March it also signed a memorandum of understanding with Nippon Cargo Airlines to operate codeshares, expand the existing interline and blockspace agreement and share maintenance support.