Boeing announced that an unidentified customer made an order for two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF) on WHAN. The manufacturer also revealed signing agreements to open new conversion lines in China and Singapore.
Boeing announced it had 134 orders of the 737-800BCF converted freighter and it has already made 36 deliveries of this aircraft since 2018.
On September 20, 2020, the manufacturer stated that the aircraft was used to operate express cargo flights primarily on short-haul routes but the newest version of the cargo plane has significant advantages on the cost efficiency side in comparison to other standard-body freighters.
According to Boeing, 737-800BCF consumes less fuel than other cargo aircraft and is capable of carrying up to 23.9 tonnes of cargo while flying up to 2,000 nautical miles.
Ihssane Mounir, the Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing of Boeing, said that the freighter conversion program would allow the operators to save costs by doubling the service life of the aircraft.
Moreover, seeing a significant growth in the demand of cargo flights, the manufacturer decided to open additional conversion lines in Guangzhou, China and Singapore. Boeing has scheduled the opening of the new 737-800BCF line at Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company Limited (GAMECO) in China in early 2021.
“The addition of the new production line demonstrates our ability to quickly respond to market trends and requirements and is a testament to the skill and professionalism of the entire GAMECO-Boeing team,” said Norbert Marx, the general manager of GAMECO in the press release.
Boeing has also scheduled the opening of the conversion line for the 767-300BCF at ST Engineering’s facility in Singapore. A widebody freighter conversion line is scheduled to open later in 2020.
“Our strong talent pool, operational flexibility and existing infrastructure allow us to adapt quickly to evolving market needs and render the necessary support to our partners and customers,” said Lim Serh Ghee, the President of ST Engineering in the press release.
Boeing claims that the 767 freighter family is the world‘s most efficient freighter in its class.