Florida-headquartered AerSale is to purchase twenty-four 757-200s and intends to convert at least some of them into freighters.
According to AerSale, the aircraft are currently parked at its facility in Roswell (ROW) but those destined to become freighters will be converted at its Goodyear (GYR) facility, where many of Precision Aircraft Solutions’ 757-200PCF conversions are carried out.
Cargo Facts believes the twenty-four 757s may all be aircraft recently retired by American Airlines; in March, when the airline decided it would remove the thirty-four 757-200s and sixteen 767-300ERs remaining in its fleet, we noted that all thirty-four 757s were between eighteen and twenty-seven years old. In fact, among these frames, a batch of twenty-four units were under twenty years old at the time and made for ideal conversion feedstock.
Precision told Cargo Facts there had been, and still is, much interest in the American frames from a conversion perspective, since most of them are sister ships with the same pedigree.
In addition to the two Rolls-Royce RB211-535 engines attached to each aircraft, the agreement also includes sixteen spares. “A portion” of the 757s and spare engines will be parted out for used serviceable material (USM) for customers in the express package market, according to AerSale, which said the slow passenger market and the “concurrent explosive growth” of e-commerce had prompted it to select the 757s as conversion feedstock, particularly as there is a shortage of dedicated freighters “for the foreseeable future.”
AerSale couldn’t immediately be reached for clarification on the provenance of the 757s or how many of them will be converted, but we note that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Finazzo said the equipment was “last operated by a top-tier airline customer.”
American Airlines sent all thirty-four operational 757s to ROW for storage between March 24 and April 24. All but three are owned by American, and joined four other owned units previously parked at ROW.
The AerSale facility at GYR was appointed by Precision as a conversion center in December 2017.
AerSale, which provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services, as well as sale, leasing and management of aircraft, engines and components, is expected to become a publicly listed company in the fourth quarter of 2020, under a merger agreement with Monocle Acquisition Corporation, a public investment vehicle that partners with companies in the aerospace and defense sectors.
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