Aircraft
IAI Signs Deal with Etihad on 777-300 P2F Conversion Lines
A contract between IAI and Etihad Engineering calls for the establishment of two Boeing 777-300ER P2F conversion lines in Abu Dhabi.
IAI and Gecas launched a 777-300ER P2F conversion program in 2019. (Image: Gecas)
IAI and Gecas launched a 777-300ER P2F conversion program in 2019. (Image: Gecas)

Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Etihad Engineering have agreed to partner on two new Passenger to Freighter (P2F) conversion lines for Boeing 777-300ERs in Abu Dhabi as demand for cargo capacity continues to surge amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The partners expect the lines to open in 2023.

In 2019, IAI and GE Capital Aviation Services (Gecas) announced the launch of the Boeing 777-300ERSF, a program that established a P2F conversion dubbed “The Big Twin,” denoting its status as the largest-ever twin-engine freighter. The move appears prescient given the circumstances surrounding a shortage of cargo capacity during the Covid crisis.