MIAMI – Global cargo and e-commerce segments continue to promote high demand for production and converted freighters, and Boeing is at the ready.
The American airframer reported on May 5 it has reached an agreement with a Costa Rica-based maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) provider to increase the conversion rate for the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF).
In Alajuela, Costa Rica, Boeing will open two 737-800BCF conversion lines with Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (COOPESA). The first of the new lines would open in early 2022, followed by the second later that year.
Besides, Boeing estimates that 1,500 freighter conversions will be needed over the next 20 years. 1,080 of those will be standard-body conversions, with North America and Latin America accounting for about a third of the whole market.