NEW AIRLINE - Levu Air Cargo (Brazil) is in the final stages of Part 121 operator certification, with plans to lease two each of A321F and A330F.

IMAGE: Levu
 

SmartLynx Airlines to expand its Airbus A321F freighter fleet to 13 aircraft

SmartLynx Airlines is on its way to becoming the dominant A321-200 P2F operator in Europe. Currently operating six A321F aircraft, the company plans to increase its fleet to 13 by the end of this year to obtain at least four more A321F units by the end of 2024. With this expansion plan, SmartLynx Airlines is well-placed to take the lead in the narrow-body express freight market.

 

IndiGo Airlines to add four A321(P2F)s

 

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l) has announced that it will add four A321-200(P2F) converted freighters, with the first delivery scheduled for the first half of 2022.

The Indian low-cost carrier said that it had already signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with an undisclosed lessor for the first two A321-200s and was in the process of sourcing the other two aircraft. The narrowbodies will be converted for the airline by Elbe Flugzeugwerke, a joint venture of ST Engineering and Airbus.

IndiGo said that the deliveries of all four aircraft would conclude within a year of the first delivery, i.e. by mid-2023. It indicated that it remained open to adding more freighters in the future.

"IndiGo was already the largest carrier of cargo in domestic India before COVID-19, and we expect the market to continue to grow after the pandemic," Chief Executive Ronojoy Dutta said.

The airline underlined that the A321(P2F)s would be operationally well-integrated into its all-Airbus passenger fleet. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the LCC currently operates eighty-seven A320-200s, 121 A320-200Ns, thirty-nine A321-200NXs, and twenty-six ATR72-600s. It has a further 570 A320neo Family aircraft on firm order from Airbus, making it the world's largest customer for the family, as well as a further twenty-four ATR72-600s from Avions de Transport Régional.

Rival LCC SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int'l) was active on the cargo market even before the pandemic. The airline's freighter fleet, excluding makeshift freighters, comprises three B737-700(BDSF)s and two B737-800(BCF)s. India's third large LCC, GoAir (G8, Mumbai Int'l), does not operate any freighters.

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First A321P2F enters into service with Qantas for Australia Post

Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), the joint venture created by Airbus and ST Engineering has achieved key milestones in the A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion programme with the delivery and entry-into-service on 2th October of the first converted aircraft to Qantas. This new P2F version is being leased by aircraft asset manager Vallair to Qantas, to operate services on behalf of Australia Post. Last month, following its flight tests, the newly completed aircraft had been delivered by EFW to Vallair.

These milestones mark the completion and ‘birth’ of the world’s first A321 converted freighter. EFW had received the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the A321P2F from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in February this year, and the Validation STC from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in July. Operator-specific enhancements were subsequently incorporated into the freighter and certified prior to its delivery from EFW to Vallair.



Andreas Hermann, VP Asset Management at Airbus and member of the EFW shareholder committee said: “We are very pleased to see the A321P2F programme entering service. The Airbus A321 is the platform which, by design, will offer the best economics, cargo capacity and performance in the Single-Aisle freighter segment going forward. For any asset owner this will provide an excellent opportunity to leverage future growth and replacement waves, underpinning the already great value proposition of the A321 today."






Qantas first A321P2F interior

The A321P2F is the first in its size category to offer containerised loading in both the main (up to 14 full container positions) and lower deck (up to 10 container positions). With a generous payload-range capability that can carry 28 metric tonnes over 2,300 nautical miles, the A321P2F is the ideal Single-Aisle freighter aircraft for express domestic and regional operations. The conversion features a large main cargo door which is hydraulically actuated and electrically locked, a ‘Class-E’ main-deck cargo compartment with full rigid 9g barrier for optimal protection between crew and cargo, and a redefined flight deck that includes supernumerary seats.

The collaboration between ST Engineering, Airbus and EFW is the OEM-supported conversion for A321P2F in the market. There has been a keen interest from customers in the solution, which is expected to further grow with the first A321P2F unit entering the market. Looking further ahead, next year the story is set to take another stride when the first A320P2F will take shape.

Australia's Qantas Freight to add A321 freighters from 4Q20

Qantas Freight (XME, Sydney Kingsford Smith) will induct up to three A321 P2F-converted freighters as part of an expanded domestic and international air freight agreement with Australia Post.

According to a joint statement, the seven-year agreement is valued at over AUD1 billion Australian dollars (USD679 million) and will give Australia Post access to Qantas Freight’s fleet of dedicated freighters aircraft and priority access to bellyhold space onboard Qantas and Jetstar Airways passenger flights.

The three A321-200(F) freighters, for which Qantas Freight is the type's launch operator, are due to enter the fleet in October 2020. they will, however, be operated on its behalf by fellow Qantas Group subsidiary, Express Freighters Australia (QE, Sydney Kingsford Smith).

“Australia Post plays a critical role connecting Australian businesses and communities to each other and the rest of the world, and with the continued growth in online shopping, we can now take it to new heights,” Christine Holgate, CEO and Managing Director, Australia Post, said in a statement.

“This agreement will further boost our unrivalled, dedicated air freighter network with newer aircraft and more capacity right up until the opening of the new Western Sydney Airport in 2026."

“The enhanced air freighter network complements AUD900 million (USD611 million) in investment across our network through automation and infrastructure, and provides the speed, flexibility and reliability customers expect."