LONDON – CDB Aviation has today signed a deal with EFW for 12 Airbus A330-300 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) aircraft, expanding from its original order of two.

This new order brings the total order book to 14 aircraft, backed by new leases with Sichuan Airlines and Jiangxi Cargo Airlines.

CDB is currently on track to launch the A330-300P2F in China this year.

The launch operator, MasAir of Mexico is set to receive the first two A330-300P2Fs very soon, whilst they are being currently converted in Dresden.

Sichuan Airlines will receive the first three of its commitments between late 2022 to the middle of 2023, with Jiangxi Cargo due to receive theirs in early 2023.

Commenting on the news was Patrick Hannigan, CDB’s CEO:

“We have strategically positioned our platform to be the A330 P2F program frontrunner among lessors.”

“We’re very satisfied with this program’s progress and momentum to date and look forward to further expanding our freighter fleet in collaboration with our partners at Airbus, ST Engineering, and EFW.”

“The A330 P2F continues to gain traction as the preferred next-generation type in the fast-growing Medium Widebody Freighter space.”

“It is delivering to cargo operators the most advanced fly-by-wire technology, increased volumetric capacity for today’s less dense freight, reduced fuel consumption, a lower environmental footprint, and the benefits of Airbus fleet commonality”.

EFW’s CEO Andreas Sperl also commented on the news:

“We are proud to have leading lessor CDB Aviation on board, growing its orders for A330 P2Fs”.

“The A330 P2F program is proving highly popular, and we now have over eighty aircraft on order. EFW is leading the overall A330 P2F program, which is a collaboration between ST Engineering, Airbus, and EFW.”

“To ensure we can meet the rising demand for freighter conversions, EFW and ST Engineering are in the process of ramping up their conversion capacity.”

Such conversion orders mean CDB becomes the largest lessor of EFW-converted A330P2Fs and is no doubt showing how much demand there is for this type of aircraft.