ISRAEL Aerospace Industries (IAI) is considering launching a conversion programme for the Boeing 787 as it weighs up future projects.
Speaking to Air Cargo News at the Farnborough International Airshow, iai executive vice president and general manager, aviation group, Shmuel Kuzi explained that the business is always looking ahead to its next freighter programme.
IAI is hoping to soon receive a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (F) for its Boeing 777-300 programme and has also been working for more than 18 months on an Airbus A330 conversion project, which he hoped will receive its STC in around two years.
But looking further into the future, Mr Kuzi said the aviation firm is weighing up the 787 as a future option, reports London's Air Cargo News.
He said the model would offer a payload in the 60-tonne range, meaning it would compete in the medium-widebody sector against the likes of the A330 and ageing Boeing 767.
The age of the aircraft means earlier models will be coming up to the right age for conversion by the time the programme is launched, he explained.
'We are now starting to look into the 787. The model started flying in 2009 so they are around 15 years old,' he said.
'It will take three or four years to gain the STC and this will be the time airlines will be deciding what they are going to do with their fleet.'
However, Mr Kuzi admitted the conversion would not be without its challenges given the model is constructed from composites - a first for IAI.
'This aeroplane is something else because it is constructed with composite materials. I'm sure we'll find a way to do it, but it is a different animal and something that we haven't done yet,' he said.
In March, IAI launched a 'Global Control Centre' (GCC) system that aims to help reduce the freighter conversion timeframe.
SeaNews Turkey
Speaking to Air Cargo News at the Farnborough International Airshow, iai executive vice president and general manager, aviation group, Shmuel Kuzi explained that the business is always looking ahead to its next freighter programme.
IAI is hoping to soon receive a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (F) for its Boeing 777-300 programme and has also been working for more than 18 months on an Airbus A330 conversion project, which he hoped will receive its STC in around two years.
But looking further into the future, Mr Kuzi said the aviation firm is weighing up the 787 as a future option, reports London's Air Cargo News.
He said the model would offer a payload in the 60-tonne range, meaning it would compete in the medium-widebody sector against the likes of the A330 and ageing Boeing 767.
The age of the aircraft means earlier models will be coming up to the right age for conversion by the time the programme is launched, he explained.
'We are now starting to look into the 787. The model started flying in 2009 so they are around 15 years old,' he said.
'It will take three or four years to gain the STC and this will be the time airlines will be deciding what they are going to do with their fleet.'
However, Mr Kuzi admitted the conversion would not be without its challenges given the model is constructed from composites - a first for IAI.
'This aeroplane is something else because it is constructed with composite materials. I'm sure we'll find a way to do it, but it is a different animal and something that we haven't done yet,' he said.
In March, IAI launched a 'Global Control Centre' (GCC) system that aims to help reduce the freighter conversion timeframe.
SeaNews Turkey
