Allied Air receives first African-owned 737-800SF

• Jeff Lee
• October 12, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

Nigeria-based Allied Air has taken redelivery of its first 737-800SF [FAT 005658]. The aircraft (36846, ex-Jet Airways), converted by Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI), was manufactured in 2007 and is the youngest 737NG to have been converted to date. Unit 36846 was inducted for conversion at the Commercial Jet facility in Miami (MIA) in March. After […]

Amazon 737-800BCFs idled

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• October 1, 2020
• Aircraft, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News

Over the past week, five of the seventeen 737-800BCFs leased from GECAS by Amazon and currently operated on a CMI basis by Sun Country Airlines have stopped flying. Four of these aircraft (32348; 32578; 32605; 32739) were ferried to Kansas City (MCI), while a fifth (29947) was sent to Everett (PAE) on Sept. 29 or […]

IAI adds 737 conversion line in Mexico

• Jeff Lee
• September 24, 2020
• Aircraft, Conversions, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

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 […]

Aviation slump does little to slow part-out interest in narrowbody feedstock

• Charles Kauffman
• September 17, 2020
• Aircraft, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, News

Competition for narrowbody feedstock from the part-out market remains strong despite an unprecedented aviation slump, according to APOC Aviation, an aircraft part-out company based in Rotterdam. The prospect of lower feedstock acquisition prices has catalyzed interest in newer narrowbody conversion types from participants in the freighter market, but interest from part-out companies continues to attract […]

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 […]

E-commerce growth pushes Russia’s S7 to freighters

• Jeff Lee
• August 18, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

Russia-based S7 Airlines will become a freighter operator when it takes delivery of the first of two 737-800BCFs in November, in part to accommodate the region’s burgeoning e-commerce market. The carrier expects the second aircraft to arrive in January 2021. Both are being leased from GECAS [FATs 005562-005563]. S7 told Cargo Facts it had made […]

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 […]

AEI boosts 737-800 conversion capacity on demand growth

• Jeff Lee
• August 11, 2020
• Aircraft, Business, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) has designated Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO Xiamen) as a conversion center for its 737-800SF program, taking the number of conversion facilities it has to five. According to AEI, HAECO Xiamen will initially have one conversion line and begin touch labor on its first 737-800 in January 2021, but a second […]