Mon, Sep 29, 2014
Sees Growth Potential In Niche Market
A new program for conversions of Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 aircraft from passenger-to-freighter configuration has been launched by PacAvi Group. The company's principal offices are in San Diego, CA, and Bremen and Dresden in Germany.
"There are currently about 600 freighters of the size category of the A320 and A321 operating globally, and this market is set to grow rapidly in the BRIC countries and around the world," said PacAvi Group CEO Dr. Stephan Hollmann. "Right now the only products of similar capacity are from Boeing. We look forward to the opportunity to provide Airbus operators and others technologically advanced freighters at highly competitive price points."
PacAvi Group will be joined in this program by AeroTurbine, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AerCap, one of the world's largest aircraft leasing companies. AeroTurbine will perform freighter conversions at its Goodyear, Arizona facility, where it currently conducts passenger to freighter conversions for other aircraft as well as aircraft MRO services for Airbus A320 aircraft. The AdviseAer arm of AeroTurbine will also participate in the program and will provide comprehensive aircraft management services. AeroTurbine and AdviseAer are headquartered in Miramar, Florida.
"AeroTurbine as a whole has more than tripled in size in recent years, and converting A320's and A321's expands our product offerings considerably," said Garry Failler, Chief Operating Officer of AeroTurbine. "We're very experienced on the Airbus product line as well and have carried out more than 200 aircraft heavy maintenance checks on the A320 alone." Commercial deliveries are said to begin in 2017 or earlier.
Dr. Hollmann said that demand has only increased since Airbus cancelled its passenger-to-freight program to focus on its core business. "Passenger to freighter conversions is very much a niche business,," he said, "and our key people have excellent track records in previous successful Airbus passenger to freighter conversion programs."
Dr. Hollmann said all of the information required in order to get the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) is publicly available, and the company is in close collaboration with the FAA and EASA on the technical requirements for the STC development.
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