KLM has signed a contract with Boeing for the freighter conversion of two 747-200 stretched-upper-deck (SUD) combi aircraft, having previously signed a commitment for Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) Bedek division to conduct the modification. KLM values the contract at DFl80 million ($42 million).
The two 747-200 SUDs, which were originally modified from standard -200s by Boeing in the mid-1980s, will be delivered to Wichita, Kansas, in September and December 1997, for conversion for re-delivery to KLM in March and May 1998.
They will be the first 747 SUDs to be converted to freighters, with the modification involving a major rework of the interior and shortening of the upper-deck floor. This will enable 20 full-height 3m (10ft) pallet positions to be accommodated, plus ten shorter positions , one more than in the standard -200F.
IAI, which had signed a letter of intent with KLM for the conversions during 1996 (Flight International, 3-9 July, 1996), claims that it lost out to Boeing as it did not have the capacity to undertake the work until 1998. "We are busy carrying out modification work on the 747 freighters converted using the GATX STC [supplemental type certificate], and converting 747s for UPS," says a senior IAI source.
The two 747-200F SUDs will be the first all-freighter aircraft operated by KLM in recent years. The carrier had used wet-lessors for its air-freight needs.
Source: Flight International
