CF EMEA: E-commerce drives narrowbody demand

FRANKFURT — Even though the narrowbody freighter market is becoming increasingly competitive, the growth of e-commerce means there’s ample opportunity for aircraft lessors, with an estimated yearly demand for approximately sixty narrowbody freighters every year for the next twenty years.

Vx Capital, the largest lessor of 737-400Fs, currently has a portfolio of two 737-300Fs and forty 737-400Fs, and plans to continue its focus on narrowbody freighters going forward, according to Stefan Kageman, the company’s senior vice president and head of aircraft marketing. Kageman spoke at Cargo Facts EMEA 2020 in Frankfurt last week.

While Vx will soon turn its attention to 737-800 conversions, the lessor is continuing to benefit from demand for 737 Classics, partly because of the 737 MAX grounding. As recently as January, Vx signed a deal with Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) for three 737-400 conversions. 737 Classics continued to drive the growth of narrowbody freighter fleets in Europe in 2019.

In the clip below, Kageman discusses opportunities for Vx Capital in the year ahead.