Aerospace manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) received the approval of the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the conversion of the Boeing 737-800SF from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Previously, Israel Aerospace Industries’ conversions had already been approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The Israeli state-owned company will now be able to provide conversion services for 737-800 aircraft from their original passenger-carrying configuration to freighter versions for European customers. In this way, it will be able to support the growing number of operators interested in diversifying their business and taking advantage of the boom in air cargo.
The certification comes against a backdrop of growing global demand for converted aircraft. In recent months, the air cargo market has grown worldwide, driven by the rise of e-commerce and the need to add efficiency to the movement of goods.
In 2021, Israel Aerospace Industries established its first conversion center in Europe. Together with its partner company Atitech, it opened its facility in Naples, Italy, dedicated to work on Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft. In addition, it recently opened new conversion lines in other countries. These include a Boeing 767 conversion center in Ethiopia and two others for the Boeing 777 in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
Boaz Levy, President and CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, said: «Receiving the EASA STC for the B737-800 will allow us to provide a solution to the increased market demand, in Europe and worldwide».
For his part, Shmuel Kuzi, EVP and General Manager of the company’s Aviation Group, highlighted the new solution for the cargo market in Europe and assured: «We will continue expanding our operations and conversions of other aircraft models to provide the best solution to customers worldwide».
Specifications
The 737-800SF is the only freighter variant of Boeing’s popular family of aircraft to be approved for ETOPS 180, resulting in greater operational flexibility. Conversion process can be performed on any 737 model, including aircraft with split scimitar winglets.
The conversion offers a main deck payload capacity of up to 52.700 pounds (23.900 kilograms). It features eleven positions for 88-inch x 125-inch containers. It also incorporates new floor beams at the rear of the wing box and an 86-inch x 137-inch cargo door.
