Most Popular Aircraft for ACMI Wet Leasing

01/12/2025

ACMI is capacity, not metal. Once you sort out contracts and risk, the decision that really matters is straightforward: which aircraft types do you want flying your schedule under an ACMI deal. In practice, the same families keep appearing in tenders and contracts: A320 and 737 on the narrowbody side, with A330, 767, 777 and key freighters doing the heavy lifting for long-haul and cargo.

According to IATA's 2024 World Air Transport Statistics, Boeing 737 aircraft (all variants) flew around 10 million flights in 2024, followed by the Airbus A320 with 7.9 million and the A321 with 3.4 million flights, making these families the workhorses of global flying and, by extension, ACMI demand. IATA's global fleet study also shows narrowbodies at nearly 60% of the world fleet, with A320 and 737 families accounting for over 90% of that segment. That dominance is exactly what you see reflected in ACMI activity.

Narrowbody workhorses: A320 family and 737

For passenger ACMI, narrowbodies dominate. The A320 family and 737NG/MAX cover the bulk of short- and medium-haul ACMI demand because they match existing networks, crew pools and airport constraints.

Avion Express describes itself as a global narrow-body ACMI provider with a fleet of 50+ Airbus A320 family aircraft offering wet and damp leases to airlines worldwide. Blue Cube Aviation positions itself as an ACMI, charter and cargo operator on Airbus A320, A321 and A321F aircraft (and A330 on the cargo side), with EU AOCs in Latvia, Estonia and Malta. Operators like these give airlines a pool of standardised A320 family capacity they can drop into European, Middle Eastern, African and trans-regional flying without redesigning their schedules.

The Boeing 737 family mirrors that role on the Boeing side. IATA data and recent fleet commentary show that 737 and A320 lines together dominate narrowbody operations, with 737s still heavily used even as Airbus' A320 family has now surpassed it as the most delivered jetliner in history. (IATA) For an airline that already runs Boeings, 737 ACMI avoids introducing a new manufacturer into dispatch, training and maintenance.

In reality, many ACMI shortlists simply read: "A320 family or 737, whichever credible operator can actually position and crew the aircraft at our base on the dates we need."

Widebody ACMI: A330, 767, 777 and residual 747

On widebodies, ACMI is more concentrated but follows the same logic: airlines want proven, widely supported types where they can plug temporary capacity into long-haul routes or charter programs.

The Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 are frequent choices for seasonal long-haul and tour operator work. Operators and lessors are also pushing A330 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions, which then appear in freighter ACMI deals as a mid-size twin-aisle cargo platform.

The Boeing 767-300ER and 767-300F sit in a similar mid-size niche. Astral Aviation, for example, has launched Boeing 767-300 freighter operations from Hong Kong to Brisbane on behalf of Aus Air Cargo under an ACMI arrangement as Aus Air Cargo builds its own fleet. That pattern is typical: an ambitious carrier or logistics player wants long-haul lift now, and ACMI fills the gap while the ownership and financing structure catches up.

On the higher-capacity side, 777-200LR/ER and 777-300ER frames appear in both passenger and cargo ACMI, while 777F freighters are central for long-haul cargo contracts where payload and range requirements are high. Legacy 747-400 passenger and freighter aircraft still show up in niche ACMI roles, usually tied to very specific charter programmes or outsized freight where their payload still makes sense despite fuel burn.

With production backlogs and delivery delays affecting new-generation widebodies, older types are staying in service longer than many planners expected, which feeds directly into the pool of frames that can be deployed into ACMI rather than retired.

Cargo ACMI: 767F, 777F, A330P2F and narrowbody freighters

Cargo ACMI has expanded with e-commerce, express parcels and modal shift from ocean to air on certain lanes. The same pattern repeats: a handful of types dominate.

The Boeing 767-300F (factory or converted) remains a core workhorse for medium- and long-haul ACMI operations, including the Astral Aviation / Aus Air Cargo example above. (astral-aviation.com) At the upper end, 777F capacity is used for high-volume long-haul lanes where yield and payload support a large widebody freighter.

On the Airbus side, A330-200F and A330P2F conversions are becoming more visible in ACMI because they offer a balance of range, volume and trip cost that works for many global cargo players who do not want to commit to very large freighters.

Narrowbody freighters such as 737-800F and A321F serve regional express and e-commerce networks. Blue Cube's A321F activity, along with other specialised carriers, illustrates how these aircraft support short-haul night-wave flying under ACMI for integrators and postal services.

For cargo buyers, the key trade-off is usually between 767F and 777F on long-haul (payload and yield versus operating cost) and between A321F and 737F on regional routes (volume, door position, and airport fit).

How airlines actually choose ACMI aircraft types

When an airline or cargo operator goes to the market for ACMI, aircraft type is usually filtered by a short list of hard constraints:

Route and range profile
The aircraft must cover the longest sector on the programme with reserves and seasonal headwinds without pushing crew and payload into uncomfortable margins.
Airport and slot limits
Runway length, noise rules, parking, gate availability and curfews can rule out larger types or older, noisier airframes.
Cabin and cargo configuration
Seat count, pitch, cabin layout and hold volume need to line up with the carrier's product and revenue plan. A mis-match here either leaves money on the table or degrades the passenger experience.
Fleet and crew commonality
If the airline already runs A320 family aircraft, A320 ACMI capacity simplifies dispatch and product consistency. The same logic applies for 737 operators. IATA data on fleet composition backs up why these families dominate: airlines standardise around them. (IATA)
Market availability and price
In tight markets, "ideal type" gives way to "what a credible operator can commit to with tails and crews at the base in time." That is why operators with scale on A320 and 737 families, such as Blue Cube Aviation, Avion Express and SmartLynx, are repeatedly visible in ACMI placements.
Operator quality and balance sheet
Airlines review AOC quality, safety record, punctuality and financial strength before they sign minimum block-hour commitments. Cheap rates from a weak counterparty rarely look cheap once a season of disruptions and disputes is over.

Why work with specialists like Blue Cube Aviation

Selecting the right aircraft type is the starting point. The harder part is securing that type from a credible operator, at the right base, on acceptable terms, in a market where demand and supply move quickly.

This is where ACMI and leasing specialists add real value. Firms that focus on capacity placements see the full picture: which operators actually have tails free, which carriers are under financial pressure, how contracts are being priced by type and region, and where airlines are quietly reshaping their ACMI exposure.

Blue Cube Aviation, led by industry professional Joseph Amissah, brings nearly three decades of experience across airline commercial roles, ACMI, and aircraft leasing. That depth of exposure to multiple cycles, restructurings and fleet changes helps airlines and investors navigate beyond headline aircraft names and into concrete, workable placements.

If you are evaluating whether an ACMI programme should sit on A320, 737, A330, 767, 777 or a particular freighter type, working with a specialist helps you translate technical preferences into contracts that remain workable once the season actually starts.