Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) has redelivered the 50th passenger-to-freighter (P2F) converted aircraft of its new-generation Airbus P2F-family programme. The P2F aircraft, an A330-300P2F, was redelivered from EFW’s facility in Dresden to A330P2F launch customer DHL and is scheduled to join the DHL freighter fleet in Asia. EFW is a centre of excellence for Airbus P2F conversions and a joint venture of ST Engineering and Airbus.
“This marks a huge milestone for EFW and us shareholders, made possible by the dedication and commitment of EFW colleagues, our customers and partners”, said Andreas Hermann, Airbus SVP Commercial & International Operations and EFW Board Member. “We look forward to continuing to support EFW in delivering some of the greatest products and services across the Airbus product range.”
EFW’s P2F conversion programmes were developed in collaboration with ST Engineering and Airbus, with EFW holding the Supplemental Type Certificates and leading the overall programme. The programmes include the wide-body platforms – the A330-200P2F and the A330-300P2F – which were first redelivered in 2017 and 2018 respectively; and the narrow-body platforms – the A321P2F and the A320P2F which were first redelivered in 2020 and 2022 respectively.
To meet the demand for Airbus freighter conversions, EFW and ST Engineering have set up in total nine conversion sites worldwide, including in the U.S., China and Europe in the past years to ramp-up total conversion capacity for all the Airbus P2F programmes. By May 2023, EFW has re-delivered 13 Airbus conversion freighters (eight A321/A320P2Fs and five A330P2Fs).
The Airbus conversion freighter offer several advantages like OEM-supported cockpit commonality. On top, EFWs P2F conversions are equipped with advanced technology that offers airlines additional operational and economic benefits, for example more containerised volume for faster loading and unloading, higher gross payload, more range and further advantages compared to other in-class freighter aircraft.
