Top narrowbody freighter developments of 2019

• Jeff Lee
• January 6, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, News, Widebody Conversions

Last Friday, we looked at significant developments concerning widebody freighters in 2019. We continue today with narrowbodies, starting with the 737. The grounding of the 737 MAX, which began in March 2019, continued through the end of the year and resulted in Boeing deciding to put production on hold as hundreds of frames sit in […]

DHL-Ethiopian JV plans additional growth, but does that mean additional freighters?

• Jeff Lee
• September 24, 2019
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Narrowbody Conversions, Production Freighters, Strategy

DHL-Ethiopian Airlines Logistics Services, the joint venture between DHL Global Forwarding and Ethiopian Airlines, is looking to expand its operations in Ethiopia and has appointed Berhanu Kassa as its general manager. Kassa was previously director of logistics services at Ethiopian. While the JV isn’t solely focused on air logistics, this particular mode will be especially […]

Delayed 737 MAX deliveries for Ryanair cuts into 737-800 conversion feedstock

• Charles Kauffman
• July 29, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, Conversions, Features, News

Ryanair Holdings revised the number of 737 MAX aircraft it expects to be operating in its fleet by Summer 2020 from fifty-eight to just thirty, the company announced today concurrently with the release of its Q1 FY2020 earnings, ended 30 June. Along with MAX deliveries, the carrier had planned to gradually retire some of the […]

Ethiopian Airlines nearing an order for more 737-800SFs

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• July 19, 2019
• Carriers, Features, Narrowbody Conversions, News

Now that Ethiopian Airlines has successfully put the first of two 737-800SFs into regional service, the carrier is nearing an order for two more of the aircraft type, sources close to the carrier tell Cargo Facts. Although a deal has not yet been inked, Ethiopian Cargo is expected to soon finalize a deal for two […]

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

• Jeff Lee
• July 19, 2019
• Carriers, Conversions, Features, Freighter Fleet Analysis, Strategy

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 […]

CFA: Steeper engine costs are the reality for 737 NG conversions [VIDEO]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 14, 2019
• All Posts, Cargo Facts Asia, Conversions, News, Video

During a roundtable panel discussion at the 8th annual Cargo Facts Asia symposium held last month in Shanghai, executives from AEI and Boeing discussed some of the factors contributing to steeper conversion costs for 737 NG conversions, compared to 737-300s and -400s. According to panelists, the main contributor to steeper costs is engines. “The NG […]

Freighter orders, deliveries slow in 1Q19

• Caryn Livingston and Charles Kauffman
• May 2, 2019
• Capacity & Demand, Conversions, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News

Freighter orders and deliveries fell 5.6% last quarter to 14 deliveries and redeliveries of production freighters and freighter conversions, Cargo Facts reports. Cargo Facts tracks global freighter aircraft transactions in its FAT database here. Starting with orders for production and converted freighters during 1Q19, totals were significantly slower than during 1Q18, when fifty-two orders or […]

As 737 NG conversions get off the ground, will MAX groundings limit feedstock?

• Caryn Livingston
• March 27, 2019
• Conversions

Early 2019 has seen passenger-to-freighter conversion programs launched years earlier for 737 NG aircraft finally complete conversions and receive certifications. First, in February, Aeronautical Engineers, Inc., received STC certification for its 737-800SF, which was redelivered this month to Ethiopian Airlines, on lease from GECAS. Israel-based Bedek Aviation Group also commenced test flights for its 737-800BDSF […]