Boeing and suppliers have been turning to one of the world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov-124, to keep assembly lines supplied during and after the labor dispute that slowed cargo movements at Puget Sound ports.
While a tentative agreement between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association was reached on Feb. 20, the mammoth Antonov-124s, with more cargo space than Boeing 747s, continue ferrying parts and assemblies to Boeing plants.
Boeing (NYSE: BA) spokesman Paul Bergman this week confirmed that the flights are still continuing.
The four-engine Antonovs – currently built by United Aircraft Corp. of Russia and originally designed in Ukraine – can carry up to 165 tons of cargo. They have a nose door like a Boeing 747, which makes it easier to load oversized cargo.
Boeing has been using the planes to bring in parts and supplies for its Everett and Renton plants.
Boeing isn't the only company to turn to cargo planes during the port slowdown. Air freight surged at Sea-Tac Airport during the slowdown, and some shippers shifted cargo to the East Coast to avoid the slower shipping times. Some of those changes are likely to be permanent.
In Seattle, you can see the changes in the sky. The large Antonov jets, with their thick bodies and large vertical stabilizers, have been seen pivoting over Interstate-5 on approach into Boeing Field.