Page 8 - STAT October 2023 for Magzter only

coverstory

A view backed by Nyman of "For those older aircraft types, demand
Kuehne+Nagel when he says: "We are cur- Our current and will simmer down primarily due to the
rently seeing more narrow-body conver- future lineup of Boeing feedstock becoming rather limited. The
sions with a focus on the B737 and A321 737-300SF, 737-400SF and 757-200 PCF
as the main flight types being converted. Converted Freighters conversion programmes have been active
It is based on several factors – two main for a very long time and many aircraft
reasons being that they have the largest play a central role have been converted in that time, with
feedstock availability and there are also in e-commerce most, if not all, of the most desirable as-
more assembly lines with the conversation sets having now been converted. In the
capabilities to handle those flight types. and express cargo case of the 737-300SF, we are likely only
Some of the benefits of narrow-body con- going to see single-figure conversions
versions are that they are faster and have a markets, delivering the remaining. Same would be the case for
larger feedstock than wide-body." capability, reliability 737-400SFs while the feedstock situation
is a bit more upbeat for the 757-200PCF,
P2F outlook and efficiency and we should see a moderate number
There are still three-four years of pent-up of conversions still to come over the years
demand based on current waiting time, our customers need but definitely not to the levels we have
which reached a peak late last year, Ny- today, and going seen previously.
man added. "However, the demand (ad- "The 767-300ERBCF/BDSFs are also now
ditional ordered/booked conversions) is forward. entering that twilight stage with more
declining with the current market trend." and more A330-300P2Fs completing the
Whaley of IBA, too, says that demand spokesperson conversion process. That is not to say
Boeing
for most types are declining "from where we are not seeing conversions of Boeing
we were during the Covid pandemic fleet grows in number while at the same 767-300ERs as aircraft continue to go to
when demand for freighter-configured time the cargo market as a whole cools facilities around the world but over the
aircraft escalated to previously unseen off. Other types have not seen such a coming years, the number of annual
levels. Market values and lease rates for cooling off, largely due to the more con- conversions is likely to decline as suitable
converted 737-800s are no longer com- trolled and steadier rate at which other feedstock becomes more and more dif-
manding the premiums they were as the aircraft types are being converted. ficult to secure." 
6 | OCTOBER 2023 www.stattimes.com