Germany’s Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), the joint venture between ST Aerospace and Airbus, signed a contract here at the Paris Air Show with DHL Express for four firm and 10 optional A330-300 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions. The signing was witnessed by Singapore’s Second Minister for Defense Ong Ye Kung, and Chief of the Saxon State Chancellery and State Minister for Federal and European Affairs Dr. Fritz Jaeckel. DHL contracted four similar conversions last July, and the first is currently underway at EFW’s Dresden facilities, scheduled for redelivery by the end of this year. Conversion work on the second aircraft, also scheduled for redelivery by year’s end, is set to begin at ST Aerospace’s facility in Paya Lebar, Singapore.
“We believe the A330-300P2F, with its favorable payload and range metrics, will address an important demand segment within the air cargo market that is not currently served by any other aircraft type,” said Geoff Kehr, senior v-pt, Global Air Fleet Management of DHL Express. “It will further strengthen the global air network of DHL Express and help us to achieve even greater efficiencies in our aviation operations.”
Said ST Aerospace president Lim Serh Ghee, “This second contract from DHL Express underscores the right decision that ST Aerospace, Airbus and EFW had made in 2012 to launch the A330P2F program.”
As the program and technical lead, ST Aerospace is responsible for applying for the supplemental type certificates for the freighter conversions from the European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Airbus provides OEM data and certification support, while EFW leads the industrialization phase and marketing for the freighter conversion program.
The A330P2Fs are available in two versions: the A330-200P2F and the larger A330-300P2F. DHL Express is EFW’s first customer for the A330-300P2F conversion program, while a launch contract with EgyptAir Cargo was secured in December 2014 for the A330-200P2F conversion program.
