FedEx takes ACIA’s first ATR 72-600F LCD conversion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — FedEx has taken delivery of the world’s first ATR 72-600F large-cargo-door conversion from ACIA Aero Leasing. The 2015-vintage unit 1239 was converted to the IPR Conversions large-cargo-door configuration for Dublin -based ACIA Aero Leasing , and will soon enter CMI service with Empire Airlines on behalf of FedEx. [caption id="attachment_57299539" align="aligncenter" width="624"] Unit 1239 after conversion. (Courtesy/ACIA)[/caption] Empire Airlines will integrate the aircraft into its Montana network ahead of peak season, flying between Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) and Great Falls International Airport (GTF), Tim Komberec, chief executive and chairman of Empire Airlines, told Cargo Facts at Cargo Facts Symposium on Oct. 22 . “ACIA is bringing a much-needed conversion to the market,” he added. The FAA has validated the EASA Supplemental Type Certificate , ACIA Aero Leasing CEO Mick Mooney confirmed to Cargo Facts . IPR Conversions received the STC in March. ACIA announced in July 2025 that it would sell unit 1239 to FedEx. The aircraft had been at the Empire Aerospace facility in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho (COE), for conversion since September 2025. Last month, it completed test flights at the airport, flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed. Global ATR freighter fleet There are about 360 ATR regional freighters in the global fleet, most of them between thirty and thirty-five years old, ATR Business Development Director Gilles Collaveri told Cargo Facts . Collaveri estimated there will be 500 in the global fleet by 2045. The regional feeder market is growing, but slowly, according to a June 4 report from Cargo Facts Consulting, which estimated a global fleet of 392 units by 2045, up from 328 now. There is a significant shortage of feedstock and strong demand for passenger ATR 72-600s, so ACIA has not yet identified a suitable candidate for its next conversion, Mooney said. FedEx is the sole customer for production ATR 72-600 freighters. The integrator distributes the aircraft among its CMI feeder partners, including Mountain Air Cargo, Empire, ASL Airlines Ireland, Swiftair and Gulf & Caribbean Cargo, according to Cargo Facts Consulting. The production ATR 72-600F and the IPR ATR 72-600 conversion serve complementary markets, Collaveri said. Production ATR 72-600Fs are suited to large operators able to spread the costs of the aircraft over twenty to thirty years, while conversions serve smaller operators more concerned with the up-front price, he added. ACIA’s delivery to FedEx is not the only major ATR conversion development this year. Toulouse, France-based Kepplair Evolution has made significant progress in development of its multipurpose freighter and water bomber, dubbed the Kepplair 72 . The aircraft is equipped with removable water tanks so the aircraft can carry out humanitarian support, medical evacuation and cargo flights outside of wildfire season. Stay up to date on all the news coming out of Cargo Facts Symposium here .

FedEx takes ACIA’s first ATR 72-600F LCD conversion

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