UAE News: Cargo-Jet Boom Quickens as IAI Converts Boeing (BA) 777 in Abu Dhabi - Bloomberg
Booming demand for freighter planes spurred Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. to announce a new site for converting passenger jets to cargo use in Abu Dhabi, its second such expansion within a week.
IAI will establish two conversion lines for Boeing Co. 777-300ER wide-body planes at a maintenance facility run by Etihad Aviation Group, complementing its own 777 site in Tel Aviv, the companies said Wednesday.
Demand for freighters is surging as coronavirus lockdowns accelerate a shift to online shopping at a time when passenger jets are flying less, limiting access to belly space that usually accommodates most airborne cargo. The pandemic has also prompted the retirement of older planes, swelling the supply of models ripe for conversion, including the relatively efficient twin-engine 777.
“We’ve seen a sharp increase in demand over the past few years and the 777 is going to be the plane for the future, so this will give us the extra capacity we need,” Yossi Melamed, IAI executive vice president and general manager for aviation, said in an interview.
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