Cooperativa de Servicios Aero Industriales (COOPESA), based at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José, Costa Rica, completed its first conversion of a Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft to the 737-800BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter) cargo version, AviaciónCR.net reported on Monday.
The aircraft, registered as PR-GTQ, operated for Gol Linhas Aéreas between August 2007 and February 2022. It had arrived in the Central American country to undergo the freighter conversion process on 1 June last year, coming from Belo Horizonte.
The aircraft will join the Brazilian company’s logistics services unit with the registration PS-GFC and will thus become its third freighter. It will operate for Mercado Livre, the Brazilian subsidiary of Argentinean e-commerce giant Mercado Libre.
In May 2021, Boeing and COOPESA signed an agreement to carry out 737-800 aircraft conversions amid high demand for these aircraft due to the rise of e-commerce and the growth of global supply shipments. As a result of the partnership, the cooperative’s facility became the first in Latin America to perform BCF conversions.
The partnership between Gol and Mercado Livre
In April 2022, Gol Linhas Aéreas announced an agreement with Mercado Livre that included the operation of a fleet of six 737-800BCF, each capable of carrying up to 24 tonnes. The airline took delivery of the first aircraft last August.
This agreement is part of Gol’s investment to meet the needs of the growing e-commerce market in Brazil, a sector that generates more than 38 billion dollars in annual revenues. The partnership is expected to last for ten years and also provides for the option to add another six freighters by 2025.
See also: COOPESA inaugurates new hangar for first 737-800 freighter conversion center in Latin America
