Page 12 - AAA JUNE - JULY 2022 Online Magazine

overhead, to virtually the lone source of revenue
for many airlines. Airlines have started placing
their passenger aircraft back into service tem-
porarily as quasi freighters, carrying cargo at
first on the seats, but more recently removing
the seats entirely,” Mark Diamond, Vice President
of Strategic Aviation Solutions International
(SASI), a global aviation consultancy, said.
IATA expects demand for air cargo to exceed
pre-pandemic levels to about 15 per cent more
in 2022. This has resulted in an expansion of
aircraft types undergoing conversion from pas-
senger-to-freighter (P2F). “Over the last three
years, we’ve seen an increase in freighter con-
versions worldwide, from 58 delivered in 2019
moving up to 81 in 2020 and to 104 during the
first half of 2021,” experts at AirInsightGroup
noted. A recent symposium on cargo noted that
the market loss of cargo capacity amid reduced rates new floor beams aft of the wing box, a large 86” x 137” Main
passenger aircraft operations during the COVID- Cargo Door with a single vent door system. AEI’s design allows for
19 pandemic has spurred an influx of freighter containers to be loaded into the aircraft a full 16.5” aft of the forward
conversion orders that is filling order books into door jamb, ensuring ground operators have sufficient manoeuvring
2024. room which minimizes potential door and aircraft strikes. Additionally,
the AEI B737-800SF includes a flexible Ancra Cargo Loading System,
This has created an opportunity for aircraft a rigid 9G barrier, five supernumerary seats as standard, a galley, and
manufacturers, maintenance organisations, air- full lavatory. According to Convey, since the company’s founding in
lines and leasing companies. Specialists in the 1958, AEI has developed over 130 Supplemental Type Certificates
field such as Aeronautical Engineers (AEI) have (STCs) and has modified over 510 aircraft with the STCs.
seized the opportunity. The Miami-based com- Growing Demand
pany offers both Passenger to Freighter and
Passenger to Combi Conversion Programs Airlines are lining up to convert old passenger planes into freighters.
for the Boeing 737-800 and are marketed as Demand in the freighter sector has sparked interest from lessors;
B737-800SF (Special Freighter) and B737- airlines; maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) service providers;
800C (Combination Passenger and Freighter). investors; funds; and other financial institutions. Many are keen to
Besides 737-800s, AEI also deals in conversion invest to hedge their existing passenger aircraft exposure, create new
of 737-400s and 737-300s, the MD-80 series business lines around it, and/or build out their existing expertise (in
and CRJ200s. the case of MROs/conversion specialists) to increase capacity and
the range of conversion programs on offer. The B737-800 freighter
“We have been experiencing a strong up-tick in has been the most popular cargo conversion model so far in 2022,
conversions across all types since May 2020,” according to the latest research by consultant IBA.
said Robert T. Convey, senior vice president of IBA said that orders for conversion (P2F) of the narrowbody freighter
sales and marketing for AEI. Early this year, AEI had exceeded expectations.
received ETOPS 180 approval from the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) for its B737-800SF The fleet has almost doubled in size, from 59 aircraft in April 2021 to
freighter conversion. AEI is also the only conver- 113 aircraft in April 2022, IBA said. “This demonstrates the Boeing nar-
sion house to have gained ETOPS approval for rowbody’s sustained appeal for passenger to freighter conversion,”
the Boeing 737-800 platform. The ETOPS 180 IBA said. While the B737-800 freighter is the up and coming future
approval allows the B737-800SF freighter to fly star, IBA figures show that the B757-200P2F remains the stalwart
180-minute extended operations over water and of the market, with a total of 259 aircraft in service as of April 2022.
remote regions. This opens operational routes “The period from April 2021 to 2022 saw the highest number of 757
in areas such as Northern Africa and Western conversions since 2018, with 13 aircraft converted in 2021 alone,”
China. “AEI continues to unleash additional IBA said. “This is notably impressive given the now limited feedstock
advantages for customers operating our B737- for the type.” The second most popular freighter, the B767-300, also
800SF freighter,” Convey added. continues to see its fleet grow – from 127 to 156, driven by the “plen-
tiful availability of feedstock aircraft from retiring passenger fleets”.
The AEI converted B737-800SF freighter offers “The 28 aircraft converted in 2021 made this the best year for the
a main deck payload of up to 52,700 lbs. (23,904 type since 2018,” IBA pointed out. The annual conversion rates for the
kg) and incorporates eleven full height 88” x 125” Airbus A330-200 and 300 “remain steady” and the new kid on the
container positions, plus an additional position block – the A321 freighter – has doubled from four to eight aircraft
for an AEP/AEH. The conversion also incorpo-
over the past year, and IBA expects conversions will continue to rise.

12 June_July 2022 WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ AAA