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, […]

Ethiopian to grow freighter fleet to 18

• Jeff Lee
• July 7, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Exclusive, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Ethiopian Airlines is set to grow its cargo fleet with six more freighters. The carrier told Cargo Facts it will be adding one new 777F directly from Boeing, three freighter-converted 767Fs, and two freighter-converted 737Fs, but declined to provide an approximate timeline for their arrival. The 777F, Ethiopian’s eleventh, could be the third 777F involved in […]

Ethiopian grows reconfigured pax-freighter fleet to 20+

• Jeff Lee
• May 20, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Ethiopian Airlines now has the largest fleet of reconfigured passenger-freighters by far, having modified twenty-two of its passenger aircraft by removing some or most of the seats from their cabins. The airline told Cargo Facts the twenty-two aircraft consist of four A350-900s, five Dash 8-Q400s, five 737-800s, two 767-300ERs, four 777-300ERs and two 787-9s. Together […]

IAI receives STC for 737-800BDSF

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• April 3, 2020
• Aircraft, Conversions, Editorial, Exclusive, Narrowbody Conversions, News

On April 2, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) a supplemental type certificate (STC) for its 737-800BDSF freighter conversion program, Cargo Facts has learned. IAI has completed two aircraft at its facility in Tel Aviv (TLV) – unit 30498 (ex-Transaero Airlines), which began flight tests in March 2019, and unit 28619 […]

AA to retire dozens of 737s, releasing more feedstock

• Jeff Lee
• April 1, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

American Airlines is reportedly planning to retire seventy-six 737-800s, nine A330-300s and twenty E190s in light of the COVID-19 crisis, making a large batch of potential conversion feedstock available. American Airlines President Robert Isom shared the plans during a video session with employees during the weekend, according to Reuters. Although no precise timeline for the […]

Freighters carry medical aid from China to Europe

• Jeff Lee
• March 25, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

As the COVID-19 crisis worsens in Europe, a plethora of medical equipment and aid is now being flown in from China by a range of freighter aircraft, whether production, converted or makeshift. ASL Airlines Belgium is currently operating ten flights a week using 747-400Fs between Liege and China. While these flights transported medical supplies from […]

EFW unaffected by Italian lockdown

• Jeff Lee
• March 19, 2020
• Aircraft, Conversions, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Widebody Conversions

Despite the Italian government’s extension today of the country’s COVID-19 lockdown to April, Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), which uses parts supplied from Italy for its A330P2F, remains unaffected for now. Sources close to the matter told Cargo Facts that while the conversion program is dependent on thousands of parts supplied from a range of countries, and […]

Allied Air looks to 737-800 for fleet renewal

• Charles Kauffman
• March 2, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News

Nigeria-based Allied Air placed an order with AEI for the conversion of two 737-800s to freighter configuration. The deal, announced by AEI this week, also includes options exercisable for another two conversions [FATs 005341-5342]. The order comes as a welcomed boost for AEI’s 737-800SF conversion program, and is the first firm order AEI has announced […]