A converted Airbus A320 freighter aircraft, the A320P2F, is the first of its kind. The aircraft has recently been delivered to a customer in Singapore. The aircraft will start flying for a company in India very soon.
An exciting milestone
Yesterday, Singaporean company ST Engineering and German aerospace company Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) announced the delivery – technically redelivery – of the Airbus A320 Passenger-to-Freighter aircraft as the aircraft of choice to launch Vaayu Group at ST’s airframe facility in Singapore.
The A320P2F is unique in that it is the first of several converted freighter aircraft that will be leased to Vaayu. It first entered service in 2020 and, in March of this year, Elbe Flugzeugwerke was granted its supplemental type certificate (STC) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The A320P2F joins the other three Airbus P2Fs.
The freighter aircraft has room to accommodate up to 10 unit load device (ULD) containers and one pallet position on the main deck, and a total of seven container positions on the lower deck. The aircraft has 85% stowage efficiency.
Jordi Boto, CEO of Elbe Flugzeugwerke, parent company of Airbus. He said:
“With this redelivery, our Airbus P2F family of narrowbody and widebody freighters is finally complete. This comes at a ripe time as demand for converted freighters continues to surge. Our full suite of Airbus P2F solutions will serve to meet the current gap and future growth of the air freight market, while offering excellent choices and benefits to airlines looking to grow a diverse fleet of freighter aircraft with operating commonality.”
Welcome to Pradhan Air
The A320P2F will enter service for Pradhan Air Express, India’s latest all-cargo airline and a sub-lessee of Vaayu. The aircraft will be the carrier’s first and only for now. The converted freighter will offer charter capacity to Indian shippers and freight forwarders on domestic and international routes.
On 6 July, Pradhan Air announced that it has received the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the civil aviation ministry, giving the carrier the go-ahead to launch later this year.
The eventual launch of Pradhan Air is a part of the Indian Government’s plans to fly 10 million tonnes of annual cargo by 2030 and, therefore, increase the global ranking of the Indian air cargo market.
Founder of Pradhan Air, Nipun Anand, commented:
“The world’s first A320P2F for the Indian market will secure dedicated cargo capacity boosting more self-reliance. Getting the world’s first A320 converted freighter to India is like a dream come true. A second aircraft will be inducted by the end of this year with plans for further fleet expansion.”
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