The first Airbus A320 converted as a freighter by the EFW company took its maiden flight on December 8th.
Renamed the A320P2F (Passenger To Freighter), the MSN2737 plane took off from ST Engineering’s premises at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park on Wednesday morning.
ST Engineering is an Airbus partner at EFW and has already converted other aircraft originally for passengers into freighter versions, including the A321P2F, A330-300P2F and A330-200P2F.
According to EFW, in the coming weeks the A320P2F will undergo a series of flight tests in order to obtain type certification from EASA, the European civil aviation agency.
The conversion allows the A320ceo to hold up to 10 ULD containers plus one pallete on the main deck in addition to seven ULD containers on the lower deck.
There are 21 tons of payload for an autonomy of 1,800 nm (3,330 km) or 17 tons for a total range of 2,560 nm (4,740 km).
One of the main differences from the conversion is the front cargo door on the main deck, located on the left side, plus reinforced floor panels and other minor modifications.
The first A320P2F will enter service in 2022, but the customer has not been revealed by EFW.
