EFW redelivers its First A330P2F Aircraft to Air Lease for Awesome Cargo

• This freighter aircraft is the first A330P2F to be registered in Mexico, and will be operated by Mexican airline Awesome Cargo.

Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), Centre of Excellence for Airbus freighter conversions, today announced it has redelivered the first of three A330 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) aircraft to Air Lease, a leading global aircraft leasing company with over 800 owned, managed and on order aircraft in its fleet.

The redelivered A330-200P2F aircraft will be operated by Mexican airline Awesome Cargo. It is the first A330P2F aircraft to be registered in Mexico after EFW received the validated STC (V-STC) for its A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F solutions by the Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil Mexico (AFAC) in November 2024.

operator Awesome Cargo in its mission to serve key routes across Mexico, Latin America and Asia-Pacific, some of the fastest-growing regions in e-commerce. We look forward to redelivering more Airbus P2F solutions which combine sustainability with efficiency to meet the fleet needs of our lessor and operator customers.”

“Through this conversion programme, Awesome Cargo is committed and focused on offering unique and attractive alternatives to its clients: increasing the fleet with aircraft that are highly efficient in fuel consumption and cargo capacity compared to aircraft of the same class,” said Luis Ramos, CEO of Awesome Cargo. “We are adopting a strategic approach that balances fleet expansion with market demand and operational efficiency; working together with e-commerce platforms and logistics providers in order to align its services with customer needs, and raising all the reliability indices of its operation, making it efficient, competitive and safe.”

The todays re-delivered A330P2F is EFW’s number 60 Airbus widebody freighter of the new conversion programme provided to the market. The EFW A330P2F programme comes in two variants – the A330-200P2F and the A330-300P2F – both of which are equipped with advanced technology that offer airlines impressive operational and economic benefits. The A330-200P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 60 tons for over 7,700 km, while the A330-300P2F offers a gross payload of up to 62 tons and a containerised volume of up to ~18,581ft3 (~526m3), bringing a new paradigm of efficiency with up to 23% more cargo volume than other freighter aircraft in the same class.

The freighter aircraft is equipped with a flight crew rest compartment and centre fuel tanks, allowing for both medium haul as well as long haul flights supporting routes connecting Mexico and China. The conversion freighter also utilises a powered cargo loading system suitable for extra-large or heavy cargo on 16-foot or 20-foot pallets.

The Mexican airline had previously operated freighter aircraft that were temporarily modified from passenger aircraft to carry cargo in the main cabin. Building on this experience with light freighters, the airline has now turned to fully converted freighter aircraft, selecting EFW’s A330-200P2F solution to support its growing air cargo operations.

“We are very grateful for Air Lease’s confidence in our A330P2F solution, the most modern converted freighter in the market,” said Jordi Boto, CEO of EFW. “This milestone redelivery marks a significant step in supporting the

AIRCRAFT - First A330P2F for EFW customer ATSG enters fleet of operator ULS

EFW announced the roll out of its first A330P2F aircraft for Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (ATSG).


Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), center of excellence for Airbus Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions, today announced the roll out of its first A330P2F aircraft for Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (ATSG). This freighter aircraft is one of 30 Airbus A330P2F conversions that EFW will redeliver to ATSG, a global leader in freighter leasing. ATSG’s commitment to the A330P2F reflects a strategic step, diversifying their existing in-service fleet of 149 aircraft with the addition of next generation wide-body freighters from EFW.

The re-delivered A330P2F aircraft is the first freighter aircraft that ATSG is handing over to its customer ULS Airlines Cargo, a Turkish cargo airline. The A330P2F was converted at EFWs facilities in Dresden. In addition to conversions in Dresden, other conversions for ATSG are being carried out at EFW’s partner Turkish Technic in Istanbul and in China.

“The delivery of our first A330 passenger-to-freighter conversion marks a defining moment in our journey to reshape the future of global air cargo. As the first of 30 conversions, this aircraft

represents our commitment to innovation and competitiveness in growing e-commerce markets around the globe. We do not want to just meet demand for capacity - we want to ensure we remain a leading lessor of freighter aircraft,” stated Todd France Chief Commercial Officer of ATSG.

“We are excited about this first A330 freighter aircraft that ATSG provides to ULS Airlines Cargo. Our next generation widebody freighter solution will be a strong enabler in helping ATSG meet the growing demand for air cargo,” said Lee London, SVP Sales & Marketing of EFW.

The A330P2F program comes in two variants – the A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F – both of which are equipped with advanced technology that offers airlines additional operational and economic benefits. The A330-200P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 60 tons of weight for over 7,700 km, whilst the larger A330-300P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 62 tons with a containerized volume of up to ~18.581ft3 (~526m3).

EFW

 

ATSG increases A330P2F commitments

Air Transport Services Group has announced it will increase its commitments to A330P2Fs with additional conversion slots at EFW. Previously, the company announced it would convert 20 A330s but now it has said it will take nine more, so 29 in total. The first conversion is scheduled for mid-2023 and the final aircraft should be ready in 2027. The conversions will take place at EFW's sites at Dresden as well as China.

ATSG is a holding company, consisting of airlines, leasing- and maintenance companies. It owns ABX Air, Air Transport International and Omni Air, as well as lessor Cargo Aircraft Management.

Currently, the Group has a fleet of two A321s (to be converted into PCFs), four B757-200s, 26 B767-200s, 63 B767-300s and three B777-200s. Previously, ATSG also announced its plan to expand its B767-converted freighter fleet, as well as investing in adding A321PCFs.

Illustration by ATSG.