IAI adds 737 conversion line in Mexico

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has begun freighter conversions of 737NGs at the Mexicana MRO Services in Mexico City (MEX), Cargo Facts has learned.

Mexicana MRO Services, which also provides touch labor for IAI’s 767-300 conversions, told Cargo Facts the first 737-800 (29668, ex-Jet Airways) had been inducted for conversion in late July, and is expected to be completed by the end of October. Unit 29668, removed from passenger service in February 2019, had arrived at MEX in November and is owned by Spectre Air Capital.

This is the third site handling conversions for IAI’s 737-700BDSF and -800BDSF programs, joining IAI’s own facility in Tel Aviv (TLV) and the Tianjin Haite Aircraft Engineering facility in Tianjin (TSN).

All three 737-800 conversion programs have now seen, or will soon see, output increases thanks to additional lines; Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) recently announced HAECO Xiamen as a conversion center for its 737-800SF and will also begin converting 737-800s at the KF Aerospace facility in Kelowna (YLW) early next year, while Boeing will add a second 737-800BCF line at Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company Ltd. (GAMECO), which only started converting 737-800s in May.

IAI, which was not immediately available to comment, recently redelivered a 737-700BDSF in August to Spectre, which leased it to Tianjin Air Cargo. That aircraft (29086, ex-Xiamen Airlines) was converted at TSN and is the first -700 freighter to be operated by a Chinese carrier.

The 737-800BDSF was certified in April. Only two examples have been completed and redelivered so far: units 28619 (ex-Pegasus) and 30498 (ex-Transaero Airlines), both being operated by iAero Airways on a CMI basis for DHL Express, which acquired them from Spectre.

Spectre launched IAI’s 737NG conversion program in 2016 with orders and options for up to thirty conversions.

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