Amazon Faces Delays in A330 Freighter Deliveries Amid EFW Issues

Amazon is experiencing delays in receiving the final four Airbus A330-300(P2F) freighters under a ten-year lease agreement with Hawaiian Airlines due to conversion setbacks at Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) facilities. These aircraft were initially scheduled for redelivery by the end of 2024, but only six have entered service so far.

Altavair, the lessor responsible for the conversions, cited labor shortages as the primary cause of the delays. Altavair CEO Steve Rimmer criticized EFW and its partner, ST Engineering Aerospace, for reallocating skilled labor to Airbus production lines in Mobile, Alabama, prioritizing higher-yielding projects over freighter conversions.

EFW, a joint venture between ST Engineering Aerospace (55%) and Airbus (45%), acknowledged the delays but assured close collaboration with customers to meet project timelines.

Amazon had contracted Hawaiian Airlines to operate ten A330-300(P2F)s, a deal announced in October 2022, as part of its growing air cargo operations. The ongoing delays have not prompted comments from Hawaiian Airlines or Amazon.

Altavair’s records show that the four pending A330 conversions are underway at facilities in Dresden, Shanghai Pudong, and Guangzhou. Notably, no conversion activity is currently occurring at the Mobile or San Antonio sites, which have faced significant operational challenges.

These delays highlight broader issues in the aircraft conversion industry, particularly amid high demand and labor allocation challenges, potentially impacting Amazon’s air cargo capacity expansion plans.

Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=Airbus

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com