Lessor GTLK signs up for A321 freighter conversions

Leasing firm GTLK Europe has signed up for four A321 conversions from Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) as it looks to meet growing e-commerce demand.

Three of the four aircraft will be inducted for conversion this year, with the fourth conversion to be carried out in 2022.

“We are delighted to welcome GTLK Europe as the latest member of our growing customer base,” said Andreas Sperl, chief executive of EFW.

“Interest in our A321P2F conversion solution has been on a significant rise over the past one year or so, and we are committed to satisfying the growing market demand with on-time redeliveries by ramping up conversion lines with our parent company, ST Engineering.”

Roman Lyadov, chief executive of GTLK Europe, added: “The next-generation Airbus A321P2F freighter aircraft, which delivers best-in-class capability and fuel efficiency in the single-aisle freighter segment, is an important complement to our portfolio as we support our customers to meet increasing demand in the express and e-commerce cargo market.”

To meet the rising global demand for dedicated freighter aircraft, ST Engineering and EFW introduced a conversion site in China in end 2020, and will be setting up another in the US in 2021.

Expansion plans are also in the works to support the rising demand for the widebody A330P2F programme, which is currently carried out at EFW’s facility in Dresden, Germany.

Several companies are in process of launching A321 converted freighters, which will compete with B757s and B737s.

Earlier this week, the US Federal Aviation Administration awarded 321 Precision Conversions its Supplemental Type Certificate for its A321-200PCF programme.

Another programme is being developed by SineDraco.

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Damian Brett

Damian Brett
I have been writing about the freight and logistics industry since 2007 when I joined International Freighting Weekly to cover the shipping sector.After a stint in PR, I have gone on to work for Containerisation International and Lloyds List - where I was editor of container shipping - before joining Air Cargo News in 2015.Contact me on [email protected]