The newest Airbus A330 of the carrier is the first in China to convert from carrying passengers to carrying freight.
Sichuan Airlines, based in Chengdu, has added a maiden Airbus A330-300 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion, bringing the total number of cargo aircraft in its fleet to four.
new additions
The B-32D2 aircraft, the first of its kind to be converted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke and Shanghai Technologies Aerospace Company (STARCO) at their facilities in Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), is the first P2F adaption by Elbe Flugzeugwerke to have taken place in China.
The delivery of the modified A330 P2F to Sichuan Airlines comes at the same time as news that the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) has officially granted certification for both the -200 and -300 variants of the modified A330 P2F converted both in China by Elbe Flugzeugwerke and abroad.Elbe Flugzeugwerke will convert an additional 13 A330s for CDB Aviation, the lessor for Sichuan Airlines, with the latter taking delivery of two of the model.
The 15-year-old widebody, designated B-6112, first flew for China Southern Airlines in 2008 and stayed with the company until early 2021. It is propelled by two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines. Prior to its renovation in Shanghai earlier this year, the aircraft operated as 9H-SMC while temporarily assigned to SmartLynx Malta.
According to Air Cargo News, the aircraft will be used on Sichuan Airlines’ cargo service between Chengdu (CTU) and Budapest (BUD), which runs three times each week. Budapest acts as a freight gateway for Asian operators into Eastern and Central Europe, with most shipments between the two cities focusing on import-export cargo and e-commerce.
As we witness the results of hard effort and cooperation leading to the arrival of the nation’s first A330 P2F, this redelivery marks a significant milestone for Sichuan Airlines and China, said Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer.We are appreciative to the Sichuan Airlines team for choosing CDB Aviation to support their creative fleet plan as a partner and for becoming our first A330 P2F client in China. As the airline continues to serve the nation’s quickly increasing air cargo industry, this aircraft will be a fantastic addition to their fleet.
increasing fleet
The airline stated earlier this year that it would be the first operator of the Airbus A321 PCF type in China, operating a number of forthcoming aircraft currently on order by the Sichuan Aviation Industry Development (SAID) fund. The first plane, a 20-year-old ex-Air Macau jet, is undergoing renovation at Chengdu Airport with the Sichuan Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company (SMECO), with redelivery planned for Q4 2023.According to SAID President Chen Bo, the aircraft will be used for express and general cargo flights because to its smaller size and type reliability.
Sichuan Airlines operates over 200 active aircraft, mostly Airbus A320 family aircraft, for short and medium-haul flights, which includes its entire passenger and cargo fleet. For its long-distance network, the carrier also runs five A350s and ten A330s with a total of 10 passengers. The airline will purchase eight more A350s from lessors AerCap over the course of the following few years.
