Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) said it has entered an agreement to provide Macquarie AirFinance with four B737-800SF freighter conversions to help meet the growing demand in e-commerce and express cargo.
According to AEI, the aircraft will be converted to freighters by the authorized AEI Conversion Center, Commercial Jet in Miami, Florida. Passenger-to-freighter conversions form a natural progression of Macquarie AirFinance’s portfolio strategy, enabling the useful life of aircraft to be extended up to 40 years.
Robert T. Convey, AEI Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing remarked: “We welcome Macquarie AirFinance to the AEI family of satisfied customers and are glad they have chosen the AEI B737-800SF freighter conversion. Beyond the benefits of lower fuel consumption and operating costs compared to older 737 Classic freighters, the AEI B737-800SF freighter was designed for operational dependability in real-world environments, which is especially beneficial in the fast-paced segment of express cargo.”
John Willingham, Macquarie AirFinance Chief Executive Officer said: “We are pleased to partner with AEI to offer our customers in the air cargo sector a proven and efficient way to expand their operations and replace less efficient aircraft. We are seeing particularly strong demand in the express freight sector as the e-commerce industry continues to grow. As one of the largest lessor owners of mature 737-800 aircraft, it makes business sense to extend their life and continue to evolve our offering.”
The AEI converted B737-800SF freighter offers a main deck payload of up to 52,700 lbs. -23,904 kg- and incorporates eleven full height 88” x 125” container positions, plus an additional position for an AEP/AEH. The conversion also incorporates new floor beams aft of the wing box, a large 86” x 137” Main Cargo Door with a single vent door system.
AEI’s forward-thinking design allows for containers to be loaded into the aircraft a full 16.5” aft of the forward door jamb, ensuring ground operators have sufficient manoeuvring room which minimizes potential door and aircraft strikes. Additionally, the AEI B737-800SF includes a flexible Ancra Cargo Loading System, a rigid 9g barrier, and five supernumerary seats as standard, a galley, and full lavatory.