Boeing Co. has signed a partnership agreement with BFGoodrich Aerospace and InterContinental Aircraft Services to convert 737 passenger aircraft to freighters.
It is the first conversion program for the 737 family of airplanes, the company says. The first deliveries are expected in mid-2002.
“A 737 freighter modification program is a natural extension of our freighter conversion capabilities,” Joe Gullion, president of Boeing Aircraft Services, said in a statement. “The 737 also is the best-selling jetliner of all time and is an ideal airplane to meet the needs of the feeder and niche freighter markets.”
Representatives from the three companies, all in Everett, Wash., are developing the engineering and configuration work for modifying the 737-300 and -400 models.
They also are evaluating a “quick change” option, which would allow, for example, an airline to carry passengers in the morning and cargo that night.
ICAS and BFGoodrich will perform the work in Taiwan and in the U.S. BFGoodrich will do the first 737 conversion in Everett.
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When determining where the work would be performed, officials considered the “bigger picture and what we already had going on,” said Anne DeAngelis, a Boeing Airplane Services spokeswoman.
In Wichita, Boeing’s modification center performs converts the 747-200, 747-300 and 757 aircraft, she noted. And when conversions of the 767 begin, the work will be performed in Wichita as well.
The conversion involves removing the aircraft’s interior such as the galley, lavatories and overhead storage, adding a cargo door and reinforcing the main deck and freight-handling systems.
Boeing expects that about 250 737-300 and -400 passenger jets will be converted to freighters in the next 20 years.
In the same time frame, the worldwide fleet of all freighter airplanes is expected to double to 5,200 aircraft.
Financial terms of the partnership were not announced.