Garuda Indonesia's maintenance, repair and overhaul subsidiary GMF AeroAsia is adding Boeing 737-400 passenger-to-freighter conversions to its repertoire.
Garuda is replacing its 737-400 passenger fleet with 737-800s and wants to have seven of the 737-400s converted to freighters at GMF, says the division's chief executive Richard Budihadianto.
Budihadianto declines to reveal whose supplemental type certificate it will be using for the freighter conversion work, except to say it is a US company. "This issue of the STC is still under discussion," he says.
 |
|---|
© Bailey/AirTeamImages.com |
GMF hopes to conclude a deal in May, start work on the first freighter in June and have that aircraft completed in December, he adds.
The MRO firm has had a long-held ambition to perform 737-400 passenger-to-freighter conversions and has previously spoken to STC holders such as US firm Pemco.
While GMF is going ahead with freighter work, it is also branching into A320 heavy checks.
The European Aviation Safety Agency has completed its audit and granted in-principle approval for GMF to perform A320 heavy checks, says Budihadianto. He says GMF can start A320 checks in April when it receives the EASA certificate.
GMF already handles 737 heavy checks for Indonesian and overseas carriers. It recently won a contract, for example, to carry out heavy checks on the Indonesian air force's 737s.
But it has been unable to get heavy maintenance work from Indonesian carriers such as Batavia Air, Indonesia AirAsia and Mandala Airlines because they fly Airbus A320s.
Source: Flight International
