Seen: A321P2F in Qantas/Australia Post colors

• Jeff Lee
• August 31, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

The first A321 freighter converted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) has taken its first flight in the colors of launch customer Qantas Freight. Lessor Vallair confirmed to Cargo Facts that delivery to Qantas is expected in the next couple of weeks. The first A321 passenger-to-freighter conversion performing a test flight in Singapore prior to delivery to […]

A trio of 737-800 conversions for Aero Capital Solutions

• Jeff Lee
• August 28, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Exclusive, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

U.S.-based Aero Capital Solutions (ACS) is bullish on narrowbody freighters and has committed to at least three 737-800SF conversions with Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI). ACS confirmed to Cargo Facts that it had ferried all three aircraft (28231, ex-Smartwings; 28655, ex-Eastar Jet; and 29925, ex-Go2Sky) to the Taikoo (Shandong) Aircraft Engineering Company Ltd. (STAECO) facility in […]

737-800 conversion market diversification accelerates in 2020

• Jeff Lee
• August 14, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, Narrowbody Fleet Analysis, News, Strategy

In a year that has seen rising interest in 737NG conversions, at least four companies new to the model have placed orders for up to eleven 737-800Fs so far in 2020, with more yet to be disclosed or announced. The following chart shows orders for 737 family and A321 conversions since January 2019.   Many 2020 […]

Crisis could diversify next-gen narrowbody leasing market

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• July 8, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, Narrowbody Fleet Analysis, News, Strategy

Minneapolis (MSP) is not a base for all-cargo carriers, and yet a freshly painted 737-800BCF (32605, ex-Hainan Airlines) landed at the airport on June 26, having arrived empty from Everett (PAE). The aircraft had arrived in Everett in early June after conversion to freighter configuration by Boeing in China. In the past three months, GECAS, […]

Spotted: A321PCF prototype on the move

• Charles Kauffman
• July 7, 2020
• Aircraft, All Posts, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News

Freighter-converted A321s are on the horizon. The first A321-200 to be converted by 321 Precision Conversions, a joint venture between Precision Aircraft Solutions and Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), was spotted taxiing outside the Avocet MRO facility at Orlando Sanford International (SFB), where the conformity aircraft is being converted. The aircraft (891, ex-FlyCAA), seen above, […]

CFA 2020: Idled aircraft to become conversion feedstock

• Caryn Livingston
• April 23, 2020
• Cargo Facts Asia, Conversions

The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on passenger aircraft operations is a surprising boon to operators and lessors searching for suitable feedstock for freighter conversions. This was the consensus at a panel discussion on freighter conversions during this week’s Cargo Facts Asia virtual event. “We’re actually seeing quite a dramatic increase in orders amongst […]

Vallair looks to sale-leasebacks during COVID-19

• Jeff Lee
• April 8, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, Strategy

The COVID-19 crisis is providing Luxembourg-based Vallair an opportunity to grow its portfolio of A321s and further its strategy of specializing in freighter-converted narrowbodies. Vallair told Cargo Facts it is actively exploring sale-leaseback deals with A321 operators, with a view to converting the aircraft into freighter configuration at a later stage when conversion slots open. The […]

EFW to begin A321 conversions at Guangzhou site

• Jeff Lee
• March 9, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, Exclusive, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), the joint venture between Airbus and ST Engineering Aerospace, will start converting A321-200s into freighter configuration at a second site in Guangzhou later this year, in addition to the ST Engineering facility in Singapore (XSP). Luxembourg-based Vallair told Cargo Facts that its next three A321s to be converted by EFW will likely all be converted at […]