AviaAM Leasing acquired another Boeing 737-800 to be converted into a freighter: the company is dedicated to aircraft leasing and marketing services, and this will be AviaAM’s fourth custom-fitted aircraft.
With this conversion, the company closer to its goal of having twenty-five freighters converted – of diverse types – within the next four years. AviaAM began the conversion program in March 2021, when it acquired its first Boeing 737-800.
According to AviaAM itself, the aircraft has already been moved to the Taikoo (Shandong) Aircraft Engineering Company Limited -STAECO- facility in Jinan (TNA), China. There, it will undergo passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion work over the next four months.
Founded in March 1999, STAECO oversees the conversion. Boeing, for its part, is providing the procedures manual for the conversion, resulting in the 737-800 BCF. STAECO has performed more than ten conversions on the 737NG. The work currently takes between 75 and 100 days.
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The Chinese company oversees manufacturing the tools and equipment used for the conversion. The modification kits, consumables, and fasteners, meanwhile, are supplied by Boeing.
Tadas Goberis, CEO and president of AviaAM Leasing, commented that «the cargo market, while booming, still has a lot of potential for development. This conversion project is an exciting and promising opportunity for our company». He continued, «although such an undertaking requires planning and complex solutions, it will help us to expand our presence in the air cargo market.»
The first two aircraft ordered by AviaAM are already being operated by Bluebird Nordic. The third aircraft, according to company information, should roll off the production line in the near future.