LONDON – Leasing giant AerCap has agreed on a deal with EFW for up to 30 Airbus A321-200 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) aircraft.
The deal is broken down into 15 firm orders and 15 options, with deliveries expected to take place between 2023 all the way through to 2025.
Commenting on the deal was Rich Greener, the Head of AerCap Cargo:
“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.”
“We look forward to working with the EFW team on this program and thank them for the trust they have placed in AerCap”.
Also commenting on the deal was Jordi Boto, the CEO of EFW:
“We are glad to finalize the agreement with AerCap on the A321P2F conversions”.
“Our young A320P2F family program has gone from strength to strength and gained traction very quickly in the market with a dozen aircraft already in operation.”
A Major Order…
For EFW, this is a major order that they have received and is the first substantial order since June when SmartLynx Airlines ordered six A321P2Fs.
For the SmartLynx deal, they are due to take delivery of aircraft between this year and next.
At the time, the then CEO, Andreas Sperl, said the following on this:
“These new orders, which came after SmartLynx leased and operated its first A321P2F freighter converted by EFW, is a stamp of approval for our conversion solutions”.
“We are confident that our P2F programs will create great value for customers such as SmartLynx, as they plan on growing their fleet with reliable and high-performance freighter aircraft.”
Also commenting on the news was Zygimantas Surintas, the CEO of SmartLynx Airlines:
“We are delighted to work with EFW towards our goal of becoming the largest operator of A321 cargo freighters, as we are convinced that this type of aircraft will become the top choice for customers globally”.
“There are many advantages to the Airbus A321 aircraft, especially in the freighter field as it is the most fuel-efficient narrowbody cargo aircraft available, and we have made a conscious decision to follow the market’s demands for more sustainable air transportation.”
“This choice of aircraft underlines SmartLynx’s commitment to the future, focused on cleaner, environmentally conscious, and sustainable air freight transport.”
Having a major lessor onboard is going to be good news for EFW, especially if the P2F program does AerCap well. EFW is looking to sell as many as it can to establish its backlog further.
With more orders coming in for EFW, including the A330P2F and A321P2F working alongside ST Engineering and Airbus, this means that it will be expanding its conversion sites globally.
The expansion will see a total conversion capacity of around 60 slots per year by 2024, hinting at continued growth going forward.
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