Boeing announced from the Dubai Airshow today that they will open three new freighter conversion lines at KF Aerospace in Canada and at Boeing’s London Gatwick MRO. Additionally, the company received an order for 11 Boeing 737-800BCFs from Icelease.
On Sunday (November 14, 2021), Boeing announced from the Dubai Airshow that they will open three new freighter conversion lines, with two new lines to be added at KF Aerospace in Canada and one new line at Boeing’s London Gatwick MRO in the UK. Additionally, the company announced that Icelease has placed an order for 11 Boeing 737-800 BCFs (Boeing Converted Freighters) and will be the launch customer for the new conversion line at the London Gatwick MRO facility, which will open in 2022. The two new conversion lines at the KF Aerospace MRO in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada are scheduled to open in 2023.
In today’s announcement, Boeing Converted Freighters’ Director, Jens Steinhagen said,
“Building a diverse and global network of conversion facilities is critical to supporting our customers' growth and meeting regional demand. KF Aerospace and our Boeing teammates at London Gatwick have the infrastructure, capabilities and expertise required to deliver market-leading Boeing Converted Freighters to our customers.”
Also commenting on the conversion line addition, KW Aerospace’s Chief Operating Officer, Gregg Evjen, said,
“We're very excited to be expanding our relationship with Boeing. We've been working with the Boeing product line for more than 30 years. With our cargo conversion experience, our highly skilled workforce and all the technical requirements already in place, we're ready to get to work and help serve Boeing's customers.”
As previously mentioned, Icelease has also placed a firm order for 11 Boeing 737-800BCFs. The aircraft lessor recently expanded their cooperation with Corrum Capital through a joint venture called Carolus Cargo Leasing, and the order is their first converted freighter order with Boeing. Icelease will be the launch customer for conversions at Boeing’s London Gatwick MRO facility.
Commenting on the new 737-800BCF order, Icelease’s Senior Partner, magnus Stephensen, said,
“We are confident in the quality and proven record of Boeing's 737-800 converted freighter, and pleased to be the launch customer for their new London MRO facility. We look forward to bringing the freighter in to our fleet to serve our growing global customer base operating domestic and short-haul routes.”
Boeing has forecasted the need for 1,720 freighter conversions over the next 20 years. Of those, the company expects 1,200 will be standard body conversions, with nearly 20% of demand coming from European carriers and 30% from North America and Latin America. The Boeing 737-800BCF is the standard body freighter market leader with over 200 orders and commitments from 19 customers. The airplane offers higher reliability, lower fuel consumption, lower operating costs per trip and world-class in-service technical support, compared to other standard body freighters.
Boeing (NYSE:BA) is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading supplier of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, as well as global services. The aerospace giant tops the list of the largest U.S. exporters, providing a significant positive impact to America’s annual GDP. Boeing supports government and commercial customers in over 150 countries and employs more than 160,000 team members worldwide. As Boeing continues to deliver for customers, they are committed to their legacy of aerospace leadership in technology and innovation and living the company’s core values of safety, quality and integrity.
Source: Boeing