Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), the centre of excellence for Airbus Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions and joint venture between ST Engineering and Airbus, has received the validation of its Supplement Type Certification (V-STC) by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for its A330P2F aircraft conversion programme comprising two variants – the A330-200 and the A330-300. This major milestone was achieved alongside with the first-ever A330 freighter converted in China which has been re-delivered by EFW to its customer CDB Aviation for leasing to Sichuan Airlines.
With this conversion programme milestone, EFW will be able to work even more closely with Chinese partners. The validation by the Chinese authorities enables customers with Airbus A330 aircraft registered in China to easily undergo conversions under the EFW programme, whether in MRO sites in China or in other countries.
“Offering conversions in China to serve the high demand in this growing market was an important strategic decision for EFW,” commented Jordi Boto, CEO of Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH. “We are very pleased to have successfully started this journey together with CDB Aviation, our first customer with A330P2F conversions on three continents, and we are very grateful for the trust they have placed in us.”
The A330P2F aircraft for CDB Aviation was converted at ST Engineering's airframe facility in Shanghai, Shanghai Technologies Aerospace Company, concluding EFW's first-ever A330P2F conversion in China. There is a strong market demand for Airbus freighter conversions, with the A330P2F programme being increasingly considered as the preferred next-generation platform in the medium-to-wide-body category.
To meet the demand for Airbus freighter conversions, EFW and ST Engineering have, in total, set up nine conversion sites worldwide over recent years to ramp up total conversion capacity for all their Airbus P2F programmes comprising the A330P2F, A320P2F and A321P2F. In China, besides Shanghai, there are also conversion sites, namely for the A330P2F in Chengdu as well as for A321P2F in Guangzhou and Tianjin, which is a third-party conversion site for Haite.
EFW's A330P2F programme has been developed in collaboration with ST Engineering and Airbus, with EFW holding the Supplemental Type Certificate and leading in the overall programme as well as marketing and sales efforts. The A330P2F programme (A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F) are both equipped with advanced technology that offers airlines additional operational and economic benefits. The A330-200P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 60 tonnes in weight to over 7,700 km, while the larger A330-300P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 62 tonnes and a containerised volume of up to ~18.581ft3 (~526m3).
