Page 15 - AAA JANUARY-MARCH 2021 Online Magazine

Making a Move
In recent years, Airbus has been trying to whit-
tle down Boeing’s big lead in the sector. With
demand for air cargo spiking and the feedstock
of reasonably priced A321s growing due to
carriers prematurely retiring many of the sin-
gle-aisle aircraft that were grounded because
of the pandemic, the A321 P2F has timed its
entry into the market perfectly. The number of
air cargo operators that consider the aircraft as
an alternative to the Boeing 737-800 is increas-
ing, mainly due to its better fuel efficiency and
extra capacity.

The first A321P2F, converted by Elbe
the aircraft back to the airline before the end of the year. ATSG’s Flugzeugwerk (EFW), the Airbus-ST
2021 plans include P2F conversions for domestic customers as Engineering joint venture, entered service
well as those in Asia, Europe and Central America. The company, last October, with Qantas as the launch cus-
which has been doing P2F conversions in Asia with its subsidiary tomer. Convinced that the A321P2F is an “ideal
PEMCO, has two conversion facilities in China and has been getting replacement” for the 757, ST Engineering,
feelers from MRO startups who are looking for partnerships to get which developed the STC, plans to establish
into the conversion business. further A321P2F conversion lines in China and
the U.S along with EFW, which is known in the
There are newcomers making their entry into the business in other industry for its A330P2F program.
regions as well. Wales-based MRO Caerdav, which specializes in
MRO work for Airbus 320s and Boeing 737s, announced in October
last year, that it was setting up a cargo conversion facility for Boeing One of the major supporters of the A321P2F
737s at its site near Cardiff. program is Vallair, which intends to acquire
dozens of the aircraft. The mature aircraft asset
In January, AerSale, Inc. announced that it had inducted the first of specialist has also signed a letter of Intent (LOI)
its 24-owned Boeing 757-200 aircraft P2F conversion at its heavy- with Global Crossing Airlines for the lease of ten
MRO center in Goodyear, AZ. The facility has been performing converted A321 freighter aircraft. The aircraft
P2F conversions on 757 aircraft since 2013. Also in January, lessor will be delivered in 2023. Apart from leasing two
BBAM expanded its 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) A321P2F to SmartLynx Malta this year, which
fleet with six firm orders and six options, bringing the company’s plans to further expand into the cargo market
total orders and commitments to 15. Amazon, which is a major oper- by adding eight more of the aircraft by 2023,
ator of 767 P2F conversions, plans to have 85 aircraft operating in Vallair will also have nine of its A321s converted
2022, and intends to have 200 of the type by 2030. to freighters at the ST Engineering facility in
Since entering service in 2018, the 737-800BCF, which works Guangzhou.
with three Chinese MROs on the program, has won more than 150
orders and commitments. Boeing also offers the 777F, based on In January this year, Titan Airways received the
the 777-200LR, as a factory-built option. first of three Airbus A321 converted passenger
freighters, with ST Engineering in Singapore
“The continued strong demand for the 737-800BCF demonstrates carrying out the modification through EFW. The
the critical role these converted freighters play in the growing aircraft was redelivered to BBAM, which leased
express and e-commerce market,” says Ihssane Mounir, Boeing’s the aircraft to the U.K. charter airline that has
senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing. plans to transition to an all-Airbus freighter fleet.
In 2019, lessor GECAS and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) In October last year, U.S-based 321 Precision
introduced a freighter conversion program based on the 777- Conversions, a joint venture between Precision
300ER. GECAS has a firm launch order for 15 aircraft, with 15 Aircraft Solutions and ATSG, completed the
options. IAI, which took delivery of the first 777-300ER in June last first test flight of its A321 converted freighter.
year, expects the converted freighter to enter service next year. According to analysts, the P2F market, which is
mainly focused on the narrowbody and medium
“A 777-300 passenger aircraft weighs more than a 747-400 widebody segment, looks primed for further
freighter and is larger. It is going to be really challenging to do the growth as demand is expected to outstrip
cargo conversion and get the adequate structural reinforcement demand for at least the next two years. The
to really get the capability out of the airplane,” says Walton. “We only worry is the sooner-than-expected- return
will see how much weight they can get out of the airplane so that of belly-hold capacity, but with airline recovery
they can increase the payload.” being slower than expected, that is unlikely.

ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE January/March | 15