AerCap signs for up to 30 Airbus A321 P2Fs converted freighters

Aviation leasing company AerCap Holdings has placed firm orders for 15 Airbus A321 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions with Airbus conversion house EFW, and has options for a further 15 aircraft.

The aircraft feedstock for the conversions will come from the A321 passenger portfolio of AerCap, the world’s largest owner of the A320 family.

Jordi Boto, chief executive of EFW, said: “We are glad that we may finally announce the agreement with AerCap on this volume order for A321P2F conversions.

“Our young A320P2F family programme has gone from strength to strength and gained traction very quickly in the market with a dozen aircraft already in operation.”

Rich Greener, head of AerCap Cargo, added: “Extending the life of our A321 fleet will complement the Cargo portfolio and meet the strong demand from our diverse customer base, from which we’ve seen a significant appetite for this freighter.

“The A321 freighter is the best-in-class and most fuel-efficient aircraft to replace the B757-200 freighter. This transaction is in line with our cargo portfolio strategy of diversifying our fleet with improved economics and returns.”

EFW’s A321P2F programme is developed in collaboration with ST Engineering and Airbus, with EFW holding the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and leading in the overall programme as well as marketing and sales.

The A321P2F is a next-generation conversion freighter, and the first in its size category to offer containerised loading in both the main (up to 14 full container positions) and lower deck (up to 10 container positions).

With a gross payload capability of up to 28 metric tons (about 61,800 lbs) and a range of over 2,300 nautical miles (about 4,260 km), the narrowbody A321P2F can serve express domestic and regional operations.

To meet the rising demand for freighter conversions, ST Engineering and EFW have set up new conversion sites in China and the US to ramp up total capacity for all their Airbus P2F programmes comprising the A330P2F, A320P2F and A321P2F.