Bedek Aviation Group has emerged as potentially the first company to launch a cargo conversion for the Airbus A340, as it plans to expand its after-market modification business beyond Boeing types.
Dani Klieman, general manager of the Tel Aviv-based cargo conversion arm of Israel Aerospace Industries, says that the company is "making preparations" for a conversion programme for the four-engined widebody.
Sources say that Bedek has firm plans to develop its own supplemental type certificate for an A340 "Special Freighter" conversion, possibly with involvement with foreign investors.
It expects demand for such a modification to materialise once the A380 enters service and airlines retire their passenger A340s.
Bedek's current facilities are stretched to the limit and it has unveiled plans for a major investment in its infrastructure, which will see it eventually have five hangars for 747-400 "Special Freighter" and A340 conversions.
"We plan to operate four 747-400 conversion lines simultaneously," says Klieman.
Although Bedek currently performs heavy maintenance on Airbus narrowbodies and has two European airline customers, it does not work under Airbus approval but is certificated by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency.
It is seeking to increase its involvement in the Airbus maintenance market.
Although there have been indications that an aftermarket conversion could be developed for the A340's twin-engined sister the A330 based on the new-build A330-200F launched by Airbus last year, the Bedek plan marks the first serious cargo conversion plan to emerge for the quad-jet.
According to Flight's ACAS database, there are currently 338 A340s in service, including 236 of the original CFM International CFM56-powered A340-200/300s and 102 of the newer-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 500-powered A340-500/600s.
The oldest CFM56-powered examples have now been in service for around 14 years.
Bedek's latest market forecast sees demand for the conversion of more then a 100 747-400s over the next 10 years.
This has prompted the company to look beyond even its expanded facilities for conversion capacity, says Klieman.
"That is why we are now looking for foreign facilities that will do the conversion under our STC," he says.
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Source: Flight International
