German company Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), which specializes in the conversion of Airbus passenger aircraft into freighters, celebrated an important milestone: the completion of the 100th freighter conversion in its history. The jubilee aircraft, an Airbus A330P2F, was delivered to a customer in Asia, just like the first aircraft of this model in 2017. Over the seven years of work, the joint project of EFW, Airbus and ST Engineering has added 49 Airbus A330P2F, 47 A321P2F and 4 A320P2F to the global freighter fleet.
The active development of the Asian direction is confirmed by a new partnership with HNA Aviation Group. According to the signed memorandum, EFW will support Grand China Aircraft Maintenance Services (GCAM) in creating capacities for the conversion of A330P2F at Haikou Airport on Hainan Island. The first conversion is scheduled to be completed in 2025 in Shanghai, with further projects to be carried out at GCAM.
In addition, Japan will begin converting narrow-body Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft to freighter versions by the end of 2025, following an agreement between EFW and MRO Japan. The new center in Okinawa will be the first in the country to convert Airbus narrow-body aircraft, strengthening EFW’s position in the region.