EgyptAir received the delivery of its first converted narrowbody freighter aircraft, the Boeing 737-800SF. Earlier this month, the jet arrived at Cairo International Airport in Egypt after spending the last few months in the US to be converted.
The news comes as the airline's maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) engineering company is reportedly considering performing its own 737 freighter conversions. The work would benefit EgyptAir since it would not have to ferry aircraft to the US.
The conversion process
SU-GCP is the 737-800SF that the airline received a few weeks ago. According to ch-aviation, the aircraft was retired from EgyptAir's passenger operations in March 2022. In September, it was ferried to Miami for the conversion process. After receiving 12-pallet positions inside the aircraft, the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority in December officially granted the freighter its certificate to operate.
On February 3rd, SU-GCP was ferried from Miami International Airport to Cairo via New York John F. Kennedy International Airport and Dublin International Airport. It will fly under the EgyptAir Cargo brand.
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From passengers to packages
Florida-based Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) performed the aircraft's conversion. According to the company, the 737-800SF cargo conversion consists of installing an 86" x 137" cargo door on the left side of the fuselage and modifying the main deck to a Class E cargo compartment. Cabin windows are also replaced with lightweight aluminum window plugs.
The aircraft features a primary deck payload of up to 52,700 lbs (23,904 kg), depending on the model and aircraft weight limits. AEI said it can carry eleven 88" x 125" AAA full-height containers or pallets plus one AEP/AEH, with pallet weights up to 9,000 lbs. Once converted, the aircraft also becomes ETOPS 180-approved.
SU-GCP will join EgyptAir Cargo's fleet of two Airbus A330-200P2Fs. A spokesperson said the airline has yet to set a date for the aircraft's re-entry into service, but it could happen by the end of the month. Last year, EgyptAir Holding Chairman and CEO Amr Abu El-Enein said the conversion was part of EgyptAir's cargo and passenger fleet modernization plan, according to ch-aviation.
"We will continue to increase the size of our fleet and open new freighter markets in the coming years to meet the growing needs of the local market in terms of exporting goods abroad." - Amr Abu El-Enein, Holding Chairman & CEO of EgyptAir Cargo
Converting aircraft locally?
The carrier's MRO company, Egyptair Maintenance and Engineering (M&E), may become the latest company to start converting Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft into freighters, according to the Aviation Week Network.
"We are studying this conversion work, but at this point it is at an early stage," an Egyptair M&E spokesperson said.
If the engineering company starts converting passenger aircraft into freighters, it would likely complement its portfolio, considering it is one of the largest MRO providers in the Middle East and Africa, and prevent the airline from having to ferry aircraft to the US to be converted.
The airline currently has nearly 30 737-800 passenger aircraft in operation. Nineteen of those 737-800s are reportedly owned by Egyptair, with four being 15 years or older.
Sources: ch-aviation, Aviation Week Network