McDonnell Douglas (MDC) has had "informal" talks with China Eastern Airlines about the setting up of a cargo-modification line for MD-80s in Asia, and particularly China. Although freighter versions of the DC-9 were built, MDC has never delivered a main-deck cargo-door-equipped MD-80.
The talks are believed to have covered the production of modification kits for the twinjet, as well as the possible establishment of a dedicated conversion line. The modifications could also apply to the DC-9 and, possibly, even the MD-90. "There have been discussions of a programme for converting MD-80s for freight service in China," says MDC. "However, we are not offering that conversion in the sense of making formal proposals yet," cautions the company.
China Eastern, together with China Northern, operates a total of 36 MD-80s. China Eastern is also taking delivery of at least nine of the 20 MD-90s being built in Long Beach, California, as part of the TrunkLiner programme. The remaining 20 aircraft will be built in Shanghai. MDC says that the discussions over the potential conversion of MD-80s began because the airline "-may decide it wants to do that so that it can add more MD-90s". No further details are available on the projected timescale.
The conversion would entail replacing a section of the fuselage with a strengthened area containing a main-deck cargo door, likely to be based on the standard DC-9 cargo door (2.06 x 3.45m), as well as strengthening the cabin floor and various systems changes, including additional fire-detection and suppression devices. Much of the MD-80 package is based on work already done by MDC for a proposed military version of the MD-90, the C-9D, for the US Navy's C-X utility aircraft. This replacement plan for its C-9 (DC-9-30) Nightingale fleet is expected to be undertaken through National Guard and Reserves funding.
A cargo derivative of the original DC-9, the convertible freighter, was first certificated in 1967 and conversions of secondhand DC-9s have been carried out by Pemco World Services. This US-based modification specialist has offered the conversion for the MD-80, but none has yet been undertaken.
Source: Flight International
