Freighter aircraft leasing part II: E-commerce behind growing leasing market

Last week, we began our two-part annual analysis of the increasingly complex world of freighter aircraft leasing. In part I, we started with an overview of how the freighter fleet belonging to lessors has evolved since our analysis a year ago. In part II, we consider the leased fleet by carrier, and how year-over-year shifts […]

• Jeff Lee
• July 19, 2019

Titan Airways receives second 737-400SF; expects first A321P2F by year-end 2020

U.K.-based Titan Airways has taken redelivery of its second 737-400SF from Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) [FAT 005041-5042]. The aircraft (25853, ex-British Airways), on lease from Automatic LLC and previously part of Titan’s own passenger fleet, was inducted for conversion at the Commercial Jet facility in Dothan, Alabama (DHN), in October 2018. It was ferried from […]

• Jeff Lee
• July 11, 2019

BBAM inks LOI for an EFW A321P2F

San Francisco-based lessor BBAM signed a letter of intent with Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) for one A321 passenger-to-freighter conversion yesterday at the Paris Air Show [FAT 005020]. The order represents EFW’s first order for its A321 passenger-to-freighter conversion program since Luxembourg-based Vallair placed a ten-aircraft launch order last February. As for BBAM, this is the company’s […]

• Jeff Lee
• June 20, 2019

Cargo Facts Asia: MAX groundings intensify strain on 737NG feedstock

In recent weeks, 737 MAX operators have pushed cancellations further out into the summer as Boeing works with US regulators to modify software related to the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which is suspected to have played a role in two crashes involving the MAX 8. Even though MAX series aircraft could take to […]

• Charles Kauffman
• April 18, 2019

Vallair set to offer A321 converted freighters in 1Q 2020

Luxembourg-based lessor Vallair, which signed on as the launch customer for both EFW’s and 321 Precision Conversions’ A321 passenger-to-freighter conversion programs, is set to begin offering A321 freighters converted by both companies for lease during the first quarter of 2020, according to listings on MyAirTrade.  Back in April 2018, Vallair confirmed it had picked up six A321-200s intended for conversion with EFW and 321 Precision. Vallair put […]

• Caryn Livingston
• February 22, 2019

As SF Airlines takes redelivery of another 757 PCF, plenty of feedstock remains

Today, SF Airlines took redelivery of the fifty-second freighter aircraft, and the twenty-eighth 757-200F, to join the SF Express-associated airline’s fleet. The 757-200 was converted by Precision Aircraft Solutions and is the latest freighter to join SF’s rapidly growing fleet, which grew to fifty freighters by the end of last year following the addition of […]

• Caryn Livingston
• February 12, 2019

CF EMEA 2019: PEMCO announces 737-700F launch customer

FRANKFURT – Today at the first-ever Cargo Facts EMEA conference, held this year at the Westin Grand Frankfurt, Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services subsidiary PEMCO Conversions announced a launch customer for its full-freighter 737-700 conversion program. PEMCO originally launched passenger-to-freighter and passenger-to-combi 737-700 programs at the 2017 Cargo Facts Asia event in Shanghai. At the […]

• Caryn Livingston
• February 6, 2019

Who’s who in freighter conversions part I: the next generation and beyond

Last year, the conversion industry finally pushed forward the next generation of conversions with the redelivery of the first freighter-converted next-generation (NG) narrowbody aircraft – Alaska Airlines’ 737-700BDSF converted by Bedek Aviation Group. Boeing aircraft weren’t the only airframe types to find new life as freighters among the next generation, either, as a year ago […]

• Caryn Livingston
• December 11, 2018