Contributor - UK

David Donald

ST Engineering’s commercial aviation business has secured a lease deal with the Vaayu Group for five Airbus A320 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions, the company said on February 14. Two of the aircraft have already have found a home with an operator, Astral Aviation based in Nairobi, Kenya, which will become the first carrier to operate the narrowbody freighter conversion.

 


ST Engineering performs the conversions at Seletar, from where the initial aircraft undertook its maiden flight on December 8. The first of the aircraft is due to begin operations in the second quarter of this year. The cargo modification is initially being approved under an EASA supplemental type certificate.

 


“We are excited to welcome Vaayu as our first A320P2F lessee customer, and for Astral Aviation to be the first airline in the world to operate such a platform,” said Yip Heng Meng,&nbsp;ST Engineering’s executive v-p and head of aviation asset management. “As an aviation asset solution provider that is backed by other integrated life-cycle capabilities including freighter conversion and MRO, we are able to provide comprehensive solutions not offered by other service providers, and help operators gain a competitive edge.”

 


ST Engineering has partnered with Airbus for the narrowbody P2F program through the joint venture Elbe Flugzeugwerke. The JV also offers P2F conversions of the longer A321. The first aircraft in its size class to provide easy-to-operate containerized loading for both upper and lower deck space, the A320P2F also offers best-in-class fuel-burn figures. The A320P2F can accommodate 10 ULD containers on the main deck&nbsp;with a single pallet position, with a further seven ULDs on the lower deck. Payload totals more than 21 tonnes, which can be transported over 1,800 nm, while a 17-tonne payload can fly to a distance of 2,560 nm.

 


Key features of the P2F conversion include a main-deck port-side hydraulically-actuated cargo door measuring 142 by 85 inches that can lock electronically. The Class E cargo compartment meets industry requirements fully, with features such as a 9-g rigid cargo barrier, lightweight cargo lining, manually-operated loading system, and reinforced floor panels and floor grid to cater for the higher running loads.

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