BRENDAN SOBIE / WASHINGTON DC
Pemco Aviation Group plans to launch this year a cargo conversion programme for the Boeing 757-200 and a partnership programme for 737-300 conversions in China.
Pemco chief executive Ron Aramini says the US firm is negotiating with several potential launch customers for its 757-200 passenger-to-freighter conversion. He expects to announce the launch customer in March, stealing a march on several competitors also looking for orders for proposed 757 conversions.
Pemco is also negotiating with several potential partners in Asia in an attempt to exploit surging demand for converted freighters in China. The firm is looking to convert 737-300s and potentially 757-200s in China through a partnership or joint venture, building on recent Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) approval of its US Federal Aviation Administration-issued 737-300SF supplemental type certificate.
"We're looking at all the alternatives for an Asian operation," Aramini says.
There are already three Pemco-converted 737-300QCs in China, including an aircraft placed into service in January by new-start Yangtze River Express, but there are not yet any 737-300SFs in the country. Rival Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) is exploring similar partnerships in China, but its 737-300SF programme is not yet CAAC-approved.
IAI, teamed with Boeing and Singapore Technologies Aerospace in a newly restructured 757-200SF programme, is also trying to line up business from some of the same customers Pemco is pursuing to launch its 757 programme. New entrants Precision Conversions and Structural Integrity Engineering are also trying to launch conversions for the 757.
Source: Flight International
