Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Boeing on Wednesday signaled its intention to further expand its 737-800BCF cargo conversion capacity by contracting with Costa Rican MRO provider Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (Coopesa) to add two new lines in the city of Alajuela. Plans call for the opening of the first 737-800BCF conversion line outside China in early 2022 and the second later that year.

 


Boeing forecasts a need for 1,500 freighter conversions over the next 20 years to meet growing demand, which has been reinforced by a shortage of belly capacity in passenger airliners since the onset of Covid 19. Of those, standard-body conversions will account for 1,080, some 30 percent of which will go to customers in North America and Latin America, Boeing estimates.

 


The company now converts 737-800 passenger airplanes to freighters at three locations: Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services (BSAS) in Shanghai; Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company (Gameco) in Guangzhou, China; and Taikoo (Shandong) Aircraft Engineering Company (Staeco) in Jinan, China.

 


Boeing has secured orders for more than 180 737-800BCFs from 15 customers on four continents. In March, it re-delivered the 50th&nbsp;737-800BCF since the model entered service in 2018.

 


Data released last month by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed that air cargo demand continued to outperform pre-Covid levels, increasing by 4.4 percent in March 2021 over March 2019. In fact, March demand reached the highest level recorded since the series began in 1990.

 


Meanwhile, global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), continued to recover in March, up 5.6 percent compared with the previous month. Nevertheless, capacity remained 11.7 percent below March 2019 levels due to the ongoing grounding of passenger aircraft. Airlines continue to use dedicated freighters to compensate for the lack of available belly capacity. International capacity from dedicated freighters rose 20.6 percent in March 2021 compared with the same month in 2019 and belly-cargo capacity dropped by 38.4 percent.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Boeing To Open More 737-800BCF Conversion Lines

A contract with Costa Rica’s COOPESA calls for Boeing to open two more conversion lines for the BCF next year.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charlotte Bailey

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

ATR 72 aircraft performs pre-modification flight in Toulouse

Kepplair Starts Converting ATR 72 Into Water Bombers

Curt Epstein

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Only the piston aircraft segment posted a decline

GAMA: Bizjets, T-props, and Rotorcraft Deliveries Up

Hanneke Weitering

Two captains held the prototype 33 feet above the water for 30 seconds

Regent Flies Electric Seaglider with Crew for First Time

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Icing approval would open year-round service to northern communities

Horizon Begins Icing Tests for Cavorite X7 eVTOL

Kerry Lynch

Deal to close this year

Bombardier To Grow Manufacturing Capacity with MHICA Buy

David Donald

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

The two NATO allies will purchase seven of the tanker/transport aircraft

Spain and Poland Agree to Buy A330MRTT Tanker Transports

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

GE Aerospace has tested the GE9X, Leap 1A, Leap 1B, and more with the 747.

GE Aerospace Flies Boeing 747 To Test New Engine Tech

Charles Alcock

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

In this article

Boeing 737 Series

Boeing Commercial

More In Aircraft