MIAMI – At the Cargo Facts Symposium, 321 Precision Conversions’ (321PC) and Luxembourg-based lessor and aircraft manager Vallair Capital announced that Vallair, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Vallair Solutions sàrl, is the launch customer for 321 PC’s freighter conversion program for the Airbus A321-200.
Vallair acquired the first unit to be converted in July, and has now handed it over to 321PC for conversion. The aircraft (891) is a 1998-build unit, originally delivered to Swissair, on lease from ILFC. It remained with ILFC (recently acquired by AerCap), on lease to a variety of airlines until going into storage in January of this year.
321PC, a joint venture of Precision Aircraft Solutions and Air Transport Services Group, said it expected to receive FAA certification in 2019, with EASA and CAAC certification to follow shortly thereafter.
321PC and Vallair provided no further details about the order, but Cargo Facts believes the number of aircraft involved is much greater than this first unit. How many? We don’t know, but a single conversion makes little sense as a launch order, and we expect the order is likely for as many as ten.