Airbus, ST Aerospace and EADS EFW have signed an MoU for a strategic partnership to develop the A330 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversion programme. This agreement, setting out the project’s foundation and granting Authorisation To Offer[1]for the A330P2F, was signed by Chang Cheow Teck, President of ST Aerospace; Tom Enders, President and CEO of Airbus and Andreas Sperl, CEO of EADS EFW; in the presence of Stanislaw Tillich, Prime Minister of German’s Federal State of Saxony.

For the project, ST Aerospace will lead the A330P2F engineering development, working with Airbus and EADS EFW who will subsequently be responsible as programme lead during the industrial phase, and will undertake most of the conversions at its facilities in Dresden, Germany. Under the agreement it is planned that EADS EFW will become the European centre for ST Aerospace’s global maintenance, repair and overhaul operations. The project is subject to the definitive agreements being finalised in the coming weeks and also to regulatory clearances.

The A330P2F programme includes two versions – the A330-200P2F and the larger A330-300P2F. Of the two models, the larger A330-300P2F will be particularly suitable for integrators and express carriers thanks to its high volumetric payload capability with lower-density cargo. Complementing this will be the A330-200P2F which will be optimised for higher-density freight and longer range performance. Entry-into-service for the first A330-300P2F is targeted for 2016.

Chang Cheow Teck, President of ST Aerospace says: “Aircraft conversion is one of the most complex modifications which demands precision and engineering finesse. We are thrilled to partner industry experts Airbus and EADS EFW for this new A330P2F conversion programme.” He adds: “We are looking forward to leveraging our engineering design experience, to provide value added solutions to the aircraft operators.”

Andreas Sperl, President and CEO of EADS EFW says: “The strategic partnership with ST Aerospace is the right step at the right time. Together with Airbus we will develop an outstanding A330 freighter conversion which will add another chapter to our successful Airbus-P2F programme.”

Tom Enders, President and CEO of Airbus says: “Alongside our highly efficient A330-200F factory-built freighter, Airbus has always been committed to extending its freighter portfolio, and the A330P2F is the perfect next step to building the Airbus Freighter Family.” He adds: “Working with our industry leading partners ST Aerospace and EADS EFW is a great opportunity in providing the best P2F economics and performance for freight operators.”

Stanislaw Tillich, Prime Minister of German’s Federal State of Saxony says: “The aircraft industry has a long tradition in Dresden since the first German passenger jet was built there. Following today’s agreement, I am very happy that the resulting A330 Passenger-to-Freighter conversion programme will bring EADS EFW to a world leading role in this industry sector, and it will also tighten the relationship between Saxony and Singapore.”

Approximately 2,700 freighters will be required over the next 20 years, and around half of these will be in the mid-sized freighter segment, including 900 conversions. Addressing this requirement, both the A330-200P2F and the A330-300P2F facilitate the change to environmentally-friendly, new-technology converted freighters, while recognising the operators’ focus on capital cost. As well as complementing the factory-built A330-200F in service today, the A330P2F freighter conversion programme will also enhance and sustain A330 Family residual values by extending the economic lives of A330 airframes.

The A330 Family includes Passenger, Freighter, VIP, and Military Transport/Tanker variants, has now attracted around 1,200 orders. Thanks to the introduction of numerous product improvements, it still holds its position as the most cost-efficient in its class and a core asset in the world’s fleets. Today the A330 fleet has accumulated over 20 million flight hours and almost five million revenue flights. More than 830 A330s are now in service with over 90 operators, achieving average dispatch reliability above 99 percent.

ST Aerospace is the aerospace arm of ST Engineering. Operating a global MRO network with facilities in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, it is the world’s largest aircraft MRO provider with a global customer base that includes leading airlines, airfreight and military operators. ST Aerospace is an integrated service provider offering a full spectrum including: airframe, engine and component maintenance, repair and overhaul; engineering design and technical services; and aviation materials and management services. The company has a global staff strength of more than 8,000 engineers and technical specialists.

EADS EFW based in Dresden Germany, combines various aviation and technology activities under a single roof, including the conversion of passenger aircraft into freighter configuration, maintenance and repair of Airbus aircraft and various engineering services. As of today, EADS EFW has converted more than 170 freighter aircraft for 39 customers globally. Today’s EFW portfolio also includes the A300-600P2F and A310P2F. As EADS’ centre of excellence for freighter conversions, EFW pushes the further development of the Airbus freighter family.

Airbus press release