China Eastern Airlines has contracted EADS-EFW to convert three of its Airbus A300-600 passenger aircraft into freighters.
EADS EFW says the first A300-600 is due to enter its Dresden factory in Germany for conversion in December. It will be followed by the two others in 2007.
China Eastern is EADS-EFW’s first customer in China, where the air cargo market is growing rapidly, and several airlines are now operating dedicated freighters. EADS says it has to date delivered 122 converted freighter aircraft to more than 20 customers worldwide.
Shanghai-based China Eastern has long been an A300-600 operator, but plans to replace the twinjets with new Airbus A330-300s that it is now receiving.
The carrier’s dedicated cargo subsidiary, China Cargo Airlines, operates Boeing MD-11Fs that were converted from passenger configuration and has two new-build Boeing 747-400Fs on order for delivery this year and next year.
Source: Flight Daily News
