FAA approves EFW’s A321F as first redelivery nears

• Jeff Lee
• August 3, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has validated the supplemental type certificate (STC) Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) obtained from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its A321P2F conversion, effectively greenlighting the aircraft for operations in the United States. EFW received the STC in February. With approvals from the two major authorities now at hand, EFW […]

Emergency AD mandates new engine inspections for stored 737s

• Charles Kauffman
• July 24, 2020
• Aircraft, All Posts, Conversions, Engines, Equipment, Narrowbody Conversions, News

An emergency airworthiness directive (AD) issued today by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires inspections of the engine bleed air fifth stage check valve on all 737 Classic and NG aircraft that have not been operated in flight for seven or more consecutive days, or have been operated for ten or fewer flight cycles since […]

PEMCO expands 737NG conversion options with -700 STC

• Charles Kauffman
• July 15, 2020
• Aircraft, Conversions, Editorial, Equipment, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

Competition intensifies in the 737NG conversion market, as a fourth company is cleared to convert aircraft of this type.   On July 10, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued PEMCO a supplemental type certificate (STC) for its multi-configuration 737-700 FlexCombi. PEMCO is now working with the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency for certification in China and Europe.  The […]

Alaska Airlines to carry cargo in 737-900 cabins

• Chelsea Toczauer
• April 29, 2020
• All Posts, Carriers, Editorial, Equipment, Logistics

Alaska Air Cargo is working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin utilizing space in the passenger cabins of six 737-900s for cargo-only missions. If approved by the FAA, aircraft could begin carrying cargo as soon as next month. The five passenger 737-900s and 737-900ER are gradually being placed into cargo service to […]

The first A350 freighters?

• Jeff Lee
• April 15, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Equipment, Logistics, News, Strategy

Finnair is modifying two passenger A350-900s to increase the aircraft’s ability to exclusively carry cargo during the COVID-19 crisis. Still a far cry from a yet-to-be-launched factory-built A350F in terms of operational characteristics, the reconfigured aircraft will soon carry cargo on the main deck. The airline confirmed to Cargo Facts that, while it is considering […]

Air Canada converts aircraft to address COVID-19 crisis

• Jeff Lee
• April 15, 2020
• Aircraft, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Equipment, News, Strategy

(Note: This story first appeared on our sister site, www.aircargoworld.com, earlier this week.) Air Canada is expanding its cargo capacity during the COVID-19 crisis by removing seats from the passenger cabins of three 777-300ERs. Two aircraft have already begun flying in this freighter configuration and the third will be completed soon. “Bringing critical medical and […]

Narrowbody fleet shaped by feedstock and FAA constraints

• Charles Kauffman and Jeff Lee
• April 14, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Equipment, Express, Features, Narrowbody Conversions, Narrowbody Fleet Analysis, Strategy

The year since we last tallied the narrowbody fleet has been full of unexpected twists and turns that have affected both certification timelines for new programs and feedstock availability. A U.S. government shutdown that began Dec. 22, 2018 and spanned thirty-five days left the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) without the resources to expeditiously certify new […]

CAAC certifies additional 737 NG conversions

• Jeff Lee
• January 20, 2020
• Aircraft, Carriers, Conversions, Narrowbody Conversions, News

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has certified both the 737-700BDSF by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the 737-800SF by Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI), paving the way for the introduction of the two freighter-converted aircraft types by Chinese operators. All three 737 NG conversion programs currently certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are now also certified by the CAAC, which granted approval for Boeing’s […]