Kenya-based specialist air cargo operator Astral Aviation will be the first carrier to operate the Airbus A320P2F freighter aircraft. The suffix P2F means ‘passenger to freighter’ and means that the aircraft are standard airliners which are being converted into dedicated freighters.

The P2F conversion has been developed by Singapore-based engineering and technology group ST Engineering, in collaboration with Airbus. The first A320P2F is currently undergoing its certification process, and is expected to enter revenue service during the first semester of next year.

The ST Engineering group includes a commercial aerospace business, which will own the initially-produced A320P2Fs, and which has secured a leasing deal with United Arab Emirates aviation solutions enterprise Vaayu Group. Vaayu will lease up to five of the conversions, and will sub-lease the first two of them (the first two A320P2Fs produced) to Astral.

“We are truly honoured to be the launch customer for the A320P2F which is also the first Airbus in Astral’s fleet of 14 freighter aircraft,” highlighted Astral Aviation CEO Sanjeev Gadhia. “The Airbus range of freighter aircraft are impressive and will add immense value to Astral’s fleet and network expansion, which will result in Astral considering future freighter acquisitions of the A320, A321, A330-300 and A350.”

“We are excited to welcome Vaayu as our first A320P2F lessee customer, and for Astral Aviation to be the first airline in the world to operate such a platform,” affirmed ST Engineering EVP and Aviation Asset Management head Yip Heng Meng. “As an aviation asset solution provider that is backed by other integrated lifecycle capabilities including freighter conversion and [maintenance, repair and overhaul operations], we are able to provide comprehensive solutions not offered by other service providers, and help operators gain a competitive edge.”

The P2F conversion programme also includes the A321. The programme is actually being executed by a joint venture between ST Engineering and Airbus, named Elbe Flugzeugwerke. The conversions of both types allow both main deck and lower (belly hold) deck containerised cargo loading. The conversions can carry both pallets and containers.

According to the Singaporean group, the A320P2F can carry 100% more pallets than the Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 cargo aircraft, and significantly more cargo volume and weight in containers than the US types. The A320P2F has ten container, and one pallet, positions on its upper deck and seven container positions on its lower deck; the aircraft has a total usable volume of 159 m³, and a gross payload of more than 20 t.