Dubai: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a deal with Emirates airline to convert four of its B777-300ER passenger aircraft to cargo. These will be converted at the new site established in Etihad Engineering’s MRO centre in Abu Dhabi, with the first conversion expected to begin in early 2023.
Emirates is the largest operator of B777-300ER aircraft anywhere. “This agreement between IAI, the global leader in the cargo conversion industry, and the cargo division of Emirates is a testament to the strong ties between IAI and the UAE,” said IAI in a statement.
“The last two years have put the spotlight on the importance of supply chain connectivity and the availability of air cargo capacity to global communities and economies,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CEO of Emirates airline and group, in a statement. “We are delighted to announce an investment to further expand our freighter capacity.”
Cargo boom
Demand for freighters scaled new peaks during the pandemic with global consumers shopping online for everything from tech gadgets to groceries. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, was up 7.7 per cent compared to August 2019, according to IATA. “IAI is proud to partner with the brightest minds in the region to create solutions to the global demand for cargo aircraft,” said IAI CEO and President Boaz Levy.
"We are delighted to announce an investment of Dh3.6 billion ($1 billion) to further expand our freighter capacity," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, in a statement.
