DHL has taken delivery of the first of 14 new Boeing 777 Freighters, with N-705GT taking off from Cincinnati on Saturday 25 May.

The aircraft took off from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport bound for Bahrain on its commercial maiden flight.

Replacing older intercontinental flights, the 777F, which is operated by Southern Air, will strengthen DHL’s intercontinental services and connect major hubs in Cincinnati, Leipzig, Hong Kong and other locations.

John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express says: “The delivery of our first Boeing 777 Freighter marks an important milestone in our mission to overhaul our intercontinental fleet. This efficient, long-range and high-capacity freighter will enable us to serve even more markets with non-stop flights and significantly contributes to greater sustainability in line with our sustainability strategy ‘zero emission by 2050’.”

The 777Fs, which will replace older Boeing 747-400Fs have a payload of 112 tons and a range of 9,200 kilometres.

Another three 777Fs are scheduled to arrive this year.