Boeing teams up with BFGoodrich, ICAS on 737 conversions

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 11/1/2000

The Boeing Co., BFGoodrich Aerospace, and InterContinental Aircraft Services (ICAS) are developing a passenger-to-freighter conversion program for the Boeing 737 family of airplanes.

Both BFGoodrich Aerospace and ICAS, an alliance of major Taiwanese companies-including Air Asia, China Airlines, Evergreen Aviation Technologies, and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp.-are members of Boeing Airplane Services' international network of modification and engineering facilities. ICAS and Goodrich will perform airplane modifications at their facilities in Taiwan and the United States, using technical information provided by Boeing.

Goodrich and ICAS plan to offer several types of modifications for the 737-300, including a "quick change" option that would allow airlines to carry passengers in an aircraft in the morning, then switch to cargo at night. The work involves removing the aircraft's interior, reinforcing the main deck, and adding a cargo door and freight-handling systems. The converted 737s will be able to carry about 39,200 pounds and will have a full-payload range of more than 1,500 nautical miles.

The worldwide fleet of freighter airplanes is expected to double during the next 20 years with the addition of more than 2,600 airplanes, according to Boeing. Of those, nearly 70 percent will be modified passenger "combi" aircraft that can be converted for cargo. Boeing says it expects to convert about 250 B-737s to freighters during the next 20 years.

In a related move, Boeing recently delivered its first 747-300 Special Freighter to Atlas Air from Boeing's Wichita, Kan., modification facility. Atlas launched the modification program for Boeing's 747 series of planes in May 2000 with an order for three airplanes. Boeing expects to deliver the remaining two freighters by year's end.