CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing (CDB Leasing), has re-delivery China’s first-ever converted Airbus A330-300 Passenger-to-Freighter (A330 P2F) aircraft on lease to its customer, Sichuan Airlines.
The A330 was converted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) with Shanghai Technologies Aerospace Company (STARCO) at its facilities in Shanghai Pudong, concluding EFW’s first-ever A330 P2F conversion to have taken place in China.
The freighter, equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, was delivered to Sichuan Airlines on May 15, 2023, becoming the inaugural A330 P2F in the carrier’s fleet. In addition to the A330 P2F, CDB Aviation has two A320 aircraft on lease to the airline.
“We are very happy to build on our relationship with CDB Aviation and thank CEO Jie Chen and his team for their work and cooperation in bringing this aircraft to market,” said Zuyi Shi, Sichuan Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer. “The introduction of this A330 P2F will provide us more freighter capacity to meet the market requirement and further strengthen our development strategy in cargo business.”
The A330 P2F is the in-demand, next-generation aircraft in the fast-growing medium wide-body space. CDB Aviation was one of the first lessors to secure conversion commitments for the A330 P2F. Since the company’s entry into the air cargo space in 2022, CDB Aviation has contracted 14 A330 P2F conversions with EFW.
