Yesterday, at the Farnborough International Airshow, Ethiopian Airlines signed a proposal to purchase two Dash 8-400 conversion kits to freighter versions. The document includes an option for two additional conversion processes. The two companies are reportedly working towards a final and binding agreement.
Last Monday, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer had announced three new conversion options that would be available for the Dash 8-400. The company introduced the Quick Change (QC), Package Freighter (PF) and Freighter with Large Cargo Door (F-LCD) configurations.
Two days later, Ethiopian made official its interest in adding two Dash 8-400 F-LCD. In the process of conversion from its original passenger version, the aircraft will be fitted with a Large Cargo Door (LCD). It will thus become a containerised cargo model that will facilitate the transport of pallets or unit load device (ULD) containers.
The variant will be equipped to accommodate typical containers such as the LD1, LD2, LD3 and LD4, enabling interline transfer of containers from other aircraft in an operator’s fleet. These features will make it an attractive option for hub-and-spoke network carriers, as well as large logistics operators. It will be able to carry up to 21.400 pounds of cargo (9.706 kilograms) in 78.6 cubic metres and will have a range of up to 1.640 nautical miles (3.037 kilometres).
The airline’s decision came against a backdrop of sustained growth in the global air cargo market. Segment analyses predict that the trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
In this regard, Mesfin Tasew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, noted that «the pandemic and subsequent recovery efforts have given rise to significant opportunities in the cargo space». He said the company sees «great value» in converting some of the Dash 8-400 aircraft on the fleet. The process would facilitate the capitalisation of new business opportunities. The company currently operates 23 Dash 8-400.
Cooperation in MRO services
Furthermore, De Havilland Canada announced a new partnership with the airline for the realization of conversion processes at Ethiopian’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities. Philippe Poutissou, the manufacturer’s VP of Customer Experience, praised the airline’s MRO capabilities.
In this regard, he remarked that the services could be offered to other Dash 8 operators in Africa, as an additional option to the conversions that De Havilland can perform in Canada or through the mobile repair team.
