EGYPTAIR plans to add the first standard-size cargo jet to its fleet early next year after signing an agreement with Miami-based Aeronautical Engineers Inc to reconfigure a used 737-800 passenger plane for dedicated cargo service.
AEI said modification work will begin in October at the authorised conversion centre Commercial Jet, also in Miami. egyptair will own the plane and send it to Miami for installation of a wide cargo door, reinforced flooring and a cargo handling system, and other changes to enable container storage on the upper deck, reports New York's Freight Waves.
EgyptAir's cargo operations have grown during the Covid crisis. It has started new routes to accommodate the need to transport medical items and agricultural products.
EgyptAir owns and operates three Airbus A330-200 freighters, each with a payload capacity of 60 tonnes.
'This order is part of EgyptAir's cargo and passenger fleet modernization plan,' said chairman and CEO Amr Abu El-Enein in a news release. 'We will continue to increase the size of our fleet and open new freighter markets in the coming years to meet the growing needs of the local market in terms of exporting goods abroad, especially crops.'
AEI's 737-800 conversion design offers a main deck payload of up to 26 tonnes, with 11 full-height container positions plus an additional position for a small container. Conversions take three to four months, depending on which overhaul company is doing the work using AEI's modification kit.
SeaNews Turkey
AEI said modification work will begin in October at the authorised conversion centre Commercial Jet, also in Miami. egyptair will own the plane and send it to Miami for installation of a wide cargo door, reinforced flooring and a cargo handling system, and other changes to enable container storage on the upper deck, reports New York's Freight Waves.
EgyptAir's cargo operations have grown during the Covid crisis. It has started new routes to accommodate the need to transport medical items and agricultural products.
EgyptAir owns and operates three Airbus A330-200 freighters, each with a payload capacity of 60 tonnes.
'This order is part of EgyptAir's cargo and passenger fleet modernization plan,' said chairman and CEO Amr Abu El-Enein in a news release. 'We will continue to increase the size of our fleet and open new freighter markets in the coming years to meet the growing needs of the local market in terms of exporting goods abroad, especially crops.'
AEI's 737-800 conversion design offers a main deck payload of up to 26 tonnes, with 11 full-height container positions plus an additional position for a small container. Conversions take three to four months, depending on which overhaul company is doing the work using AEI's modification kit.
SeaNews Turkey
