The joint venture between Airbus and ST Engineering is gearing up to expand its A321 passenger-to-freight conversion program, following the delivery of its first conversion to Qantas on Tuesday.
Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), the joint venture between European planemaker Airbus and Singapore-based ST Engineering, has delivered its first A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) aircraft to Australian flag-carrier Qantas Airways.
The first A321 converted freighter is operated by Qantas on behalf of Australia Post and includes a large main cargo door that is hydraulically actuated and electrically locked.
Following the entry of the first A321P2F into service, ST Engineering, majority shareholder in EFW, has announced that its joint venture with Airbus is due to expand to China, Germany and the US by 2023.
After its expansion outside of Singapore, the goal is to see the conversion of around 25 planes per year, to meet rising demand for dedicated cargo aircraft, the company said.
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, around half of air cargo carried around the globe would be transported in the belly of passenger jets. However, with significantly less international flight demand, the importance of freight-only aircraft has come to front of mind.
“The completion of our first A321P2F is timely, as the program can help airlines breathe new life into underutilised aircraft, which would otherwise suffer a harder landing in their residual value,” Jeffrey Lam, president of ST Engineering’s aerospace division said.
Andreas Sperl, CEO of EFW, said, “We are excited to welcome this newest member A321P2F, which is the result of a successful collaboration with ST Engineering and Airbus, into our suite of Airbus freighter conversions.
“Given the outstanding performance of this freighter, we are confident that the A321P2F will be a game changer in the freighter market.”
The A321P2F is reportedly the first in its size category to offer containerised loading in both the main (up to 14 full container positions) and lower deck (up to 10 container positions).
It has a payload-range capability that can exceed 28 tonnes over 2,300 nautical miles, the A321P2F narrow-body freighter is ideal for express domestic and regional operations.
The conversion features a large main cargo door which is hydraulically actuated and electrically locked, a Class E cargo compartment with full rigid 9g barrier for optimal protection between crew and cargo, and a redefined flight deck that includes supernumerary seats and a new lavatory.
