Northern Air Cargo Adds Second Boeing 737-800SF in Retro Livery

ANCHORAGE — Northern Air Cargo has added a second Boeing 737-800SF to its Alaska fleet, doubling its subfleet of the newer narrowbody freighter as the airline marks its 70th anniversary year.

In a September 4 announcement, the Anchorage-based carrier said its newest 737-800 had arrived in Alaska. NAC said the additional aircraft would help it meet demand, maintain reliable service and give it more flexibility across the communities it serves.

The September 4 announcement did not name a first route or revenue-service date. It also did not say whether the 737-800SF represents net fleet growth or will replace one of NAC's older 737-300 or 737-400 freighters.

Aircraft History and Lease

The aircraft is N3160G, a 2004-built Boeing 737-883(SF). Cargo Facts reported in August that World Star Aviation would lease the aircraft to NAC, increasing the carrier's 737-800 freighter fleet from one aircraft to two. The FAA registry lists UMB Bank N.A. Trustee as the registered owner and identifies the airframe as manufacturer serial number 32277.

The aircraft arrived at Shannon, Ireland, on August 4 for maintenance and painting, according to a contemporaneous aircraft-movement report. It emerged in the retro scheme on August 25 before NAC announced its arrival in Alaska in early September.

Reported Capacity Figure Has No Baseline

AEI's 737-800SF specification provides 11 full-height main-deck container or pallet positions plus a twelfth AEP/AEH position. The conversion company lists a maximum main-deck payload of up to 52,700lb (23,904kg), depending on the individual aircraft's model and weight limits.

The AEI figure is a conversion maximum, not a reported NAC mission payload. Alaska Business reported that the new aircraft adds 40,000lb of freight capacity per flight, but the report did not state a comparison baseline. The 40,000lb figure therefore cannot be treated as a payload advantage over NAC's 737 Classics.

The second aircraft gives NAC another option when maintenance or weather disrupts its network. The reviewed materials do not specify how N3160G will rotate through that network.

NAC Refocuses on Narrowbody Freight

Alaska Business reported that NAC inaugurated service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) in 2025 with its first 737-800SF. NAC had announced three weekly departures, supported by 737-300 and 737-400 freighters, with Seattle-originating shipments projected to reach Nome, Kotzebue, Utqiagvik and Bethel through Anchorage within 12 to 18 hours.

The second 737-800SF arrives after a broader strategic pullback. In 2025, FreightWaves reported that NAC planned to withdraw its 767-300 freighters and leave its Caribbean and Latin American long-haul network to concentrate on Alaska and Hawaii with 737s. N3160G adds depth to that narrowbody strategy, but its arrival alone does not establish a route expansion.

NAC's September 4 announcement calls the paint retro without tying it to a specific historic scheme. Northern Air Cargo says it began in 1956 with two Fairchild C-82 Flying Boxcars, added its first Douglas DC-6 in 1969 and entered the jet era with a Boeing 727-100 freighter in 1991. Saltchuk acquired the airline in 2006.