PEMCO launches 737-700 conversion programs, books launch order

SHANGHAI – At the Cargo Facts Asia event in Shanghai today, PEMCO World Air Services formally launched passenger-to-freighter and passenger-to-combi programs for Boeing’s 737-700.

PEMCO, which was recently acquired by Air Transport Services Group, also announced a launch order from Bahrain-based Chisholm Enterprises, parent of charter operator Texel Air, for the combi variant.

Given the launch order, we’ll start with the comb, for which PEMCO’s official name is the 737-700 FlexCombi, or -700FC. Why “FlexCombi?” Because, unlike most combi-configured aircraft, PEMCO’s Passenger-to-FlexCombi conversion will allow operation in three interchangeable configurations rather than having a single, fixed configuration.

• A 24-passenger cabin plus a 2,640-cubic-foot cargo hold for up to 30,000 pounds of payload in six pallet positions;
• A 12-passenger cabin plus a 3,005-cubic-foot cargo hold for up to 35,000 pounds of payload in seven pallet positions;

• A full-freighter mode consisting of a 3,370-cubic-foot cargo hold for up to 40,000 pounds of payload in eight pallet positions.

Six of the pallet positions will accommodate 88” x 125” or 88” x 108” pallets, with the seventh and eighth positions accommodating smaller pallets.

PEMCO will induct Chisholm’s 737-700 aircraft for conversion at its Tampa (TPA) facility before the end of the current quarter, and says it expects to receive certification by mid-2018, followed by redelivery of the FlexCombi to Texel (which currently operates two PEMCO-converted 737-300Fs).

PEMCO’s 737-700 passenger-to-freighter conversion will offer nine pallet positions, up to 45,000 pounds of payload, and 3,844 cubic feet of total volume. Eight positions will accommodate 88” x 125” or 88” x 108” pallets, with the ninth position accommodating a smaller pallet.