New freighter additions spotted

• Jeff Lee
• July 27, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, News, Production Freighters, Strategy

Several widebody freighter aircraft poised to be added to operators’ fleets have been snapped by photographers around the world. First, it appears that Russia-based Volga-Dnepr Group plans to add the 777F platform, after all. A 777F has been newly painted into AirBridgeCargo (ABC) colors at Boeing’s Everett (PAE) facility, as seen in this photo posted […]

EFW plans for more pax-freighter ops with in-cabin cargo container

• Caryn Livingston
• July 27, 2020
• Aircraft, Business, Capacity & Demand, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics, News, Strategy

German MRO and conversion house Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) has launched in-cabin cargo container boxes, a new product allowing airlines operating reconfigured passenger planes to increase cargo storage capacity in the main cabin. The global logistics industry has adjusted to the reduced capacity spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic with additional freighter aircraft charters and other means, […]

Global air passenger slump to last until 2023, Moody’s says

• Bloomberg News
• July 17, 2020
• Aircraft, All Posts, Bloomberg, Equipment, News

Global airline passenger demand won’t recover to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels until the end of 2023, and only then if effective vaccines and medicines are available, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The recovery for airlines and airports will be largely aligned, followed by aircraft lessors as carriers return fleets to service, Moody’s analysts including Jonathan Root […]

Qatar Airways hits the brakes on freighter deliveries

• Jeff Lee
• June 22, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, News, Strategy

With CEO Akbar Al Baker telling U.K.-based Sky News that Qatar Airways will not be taking delivery of any new aircraft in 2020 or 2021, the airline’s cargo fleet will remain static at the end of the year for the first time since 2013, when it withdrew its A300-600Fs from service. All the aircraft on […]

Georgian startup to launch with first freighter

• Jeff Lee
• May 28, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News, Production Freighters, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Georgia-based Easycharter plans to launch operations with its first freighter in June. The startup carrier took redelivery of an A300B4-200F (210, ex-AeroUnion) in February [FAT 005435] and confirmed to Cargo Facts that it owns the aircraft, which carried out a short test flight for crew familiarization and training purposes May 25. The aircraft, which is […]

EFW boosts gross weight with 777 redelivery

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• May 27, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, Express, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Logistics, News, Widebody Conversions

Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) has completed the conversion of its fourth A330-300F (MSN 777, ex-China Eastern Airlines) and redelivered the aircraft to DHL Express [FAT 005434]. This is the first high-gross-weight conversion and delivers an upward revision to the maximum gross payload for the A330-300P2F. EFW previously listed the maximum gross payload for the A330-300 at […]

Avianor and AKKA partner on passenger-freighter conversions

• Jeff Lee
• May 21, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy, Widebody Conversions

Montreal-based Avianor has partnered with Brussels-headquartered AKKA Technologies to have its passenger-freighter reconfiguration package approved and certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). AKKA has also been granted rights to use the solution. Matthieu Duhaime, president and COO of Avianor, told Cargo Facts EASA approval is expected in six to eight weeks. While […]

De Havilland extends simplified conversion for Dash 8s

• Jeff Lee
• May 12, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

De Havilland has obtained regulatory approval from Transport Canada for its Dash 8-100, -200 and -300 Simplified Package Freighter conversion that features a stripped-out passenger cabin without seats. The manufacturer developed the conversion program as a solution to the lack of airfreight capacity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and allows operators to make better use […]