J&C Aero, an international aviation design and production company and SmartLynx Airlines, an EU full-service ACMI aircraft lease provider, have signed an agreement under which J&C Aero's engineers will manage the certification process for the air carrier to receive a permanent EASA STC for cargo transportation inside Airbus A330 cabins. Previously, J&C Aero had provided engineering support for SmartLynx Airlines to receive temporary approval for the modification of five Airbus A330 with Zero LOPA.
Under the Zero LOPA project, J&C Aero has developed all the necessary technical and legal documentation required to conduct cabin modification on five wide-body aircraft operated by SmartLynx Airlines. In addition, the company's engineers conducted technical oversight of the modification works and ensured the subsequent temporary certification by aviation authorities. Completed modifications enabled the air carrier to operate Airbus A330s that can be relatively easily converted from passenger to cargo operations and vice versa.
Each of SmartLynx Airlines' seatless Airbus A330s has up to 34 cargo zones for cargo containers or nets with a total transportation capacity of 260 m3 and up to 55,000 kg of cargo. With all necessary temporary approvals by aviation authorities received, the airline already operates the modified aircraft on transatlantic and transpacific routes, transporting medical supplies and other cargo types now being ready for the growing demand as the pre-Christmas season approaches. With the support of J&C Aero engineers, the airline anticipates completing the certification for a permanent EASA STC by the end of autumn 2021.
