U.S.- and Germany-based PacAvi Group has acquired its first A320 to be converted from a passenger aircraft to a freighter. The aircraft was transported to HAITEC Aircraft Maintenance, an MRO based at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. This is the first P-to-F conversion of an A320, which is expected to be converted as quickly as possible.
PacAvi CEO Stephan Hollmann said he expects final approval of the Supplemental Type Certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2016. “From then on, our plan is to grow fast,” Hollmann said. “There are 50-60 narrow-body freighters of A320 and A321 size produced annually, and we are well positioned to dominate this market in the coming years. We expect HAITEC to account for about a dozen commercial conversions a year.”
Air Cargo World’s sister publication Cargo Facts reported that it believes there is a customer for the aircraft, and that senior executives from PacAvi “will begin to announce customers shortly.” Cargo Facts reported that the maximum structural payload would be up to approximately 21 tonnes, depending on options.
In other P-to-F conversion news, Precision Aircraft Solutions said it has begun converting a Rolls-Royce-powered 757 aircraft into a freighter orientation for Chinese cargo carrier SF Airlines. This conversion will be the tenth that U.S.-based Precision has performed for SF.