SEATTLE, Oct. 23, 2014 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced today that SF Airlines has placed an order for an undisclosed number of 767-300ER passenger-to-freighter conversions (Boeing Converted Freighters). SF Airlines, a subsidiary of Shenzhen, China-based delivery services company SF Express, will accept its first redelivered 767 in the second half of 2015.

“SF Express aims to become China’s most respected and reliable international courier company,” said Li Sheng, President of SF Airlines. “The addition of both wide and narrow-body Boeing freighters to our fleet will help us to continue providing quality service and expanded service networks, so as to offer efficient and reliable express delivery solutions that serve all the needs of our customers.”

The 767 Boeing Converted Freighter offers an intercontinental range capability well-suited to the mid-sized freighter market, and maximizes efficiency of operations and payload configuration.

“We are honored that SF Express has placed its trust in Boeing as their provider of passenger-to-freighter conversions for the 767-300ER,” said Dan da Silva, vice president of Modification and Conversion Services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Customers prefer Boeing Converted Freighters for three main reasons: to benefit from the expertise and airplane knowledge only the airplane’s original manufacturer possesses, to have access to Boeing’s world-class global support and to simplify regulatory acceptance in China and other countries around the globe. By delivering these advantages, we give our customers a competitive edge in the marketplace.”

In its recently released World Air Cargo Forecast, Boeing forecasts that Asia will continue to lead the world in average annual air cargo growth, with domestic China and intra-Asia markets expanding 6.7 percent and 6.5 percent per year, respectively. Boeing projects that air cargo traffic will grow at an annual rate of 4.7 percent over the next 20 years, with global air freight traffic expected to more than double by 2033. With increased air cargo traffic, the world freighter fleet is also expected to grow with deliveries of 840 new factory-built airplanes and 1,330 passenger to freighter conversion airplanes.