Alenia Aeronavali, a subsidiary of the Finmeccanica Company has three plants for a total of over 92,000 sq. meters of hangar space and workshops, situated in Venice, which is also the company headquarters, Naples and Brindisi. The company has been involved in the modification and maintenance of commercial and military aircraft for more than fifty years.
Among the aircraft that Alenia Aeronavali undertakes conversions on, are the ATR42/72 turboprop which are manufactured by ATR, an equal partnership between Alenia Aeronautica (also part of the Finmeccanica group) and EADS.
The passenger to freighter conversion of the ATR42/72 aircraft comes with two freighter configuration options: with the existing 51 inch cargo door for bulk loading, or a Large Cargo Door for loading standard containers.
One unique competitive offering from Aeronavali according to Alenia Aeronavali sales manager, Giuseppe Gambino is an option for an extra-Large Cargo Door 116 inches wide that will allow standard containers to be accommodated. But this is likely not to be to everyone’s taste, as Gambino notes, because it means additional cost. To date the company has completed a total of 11-ATRs and has another 10 in the backlog.
“As a member of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services’ international network of modification and engineering facilities Alenia Aeronavali also modifies DC-10 and MD-10/11 passenger aircraft to freighters for customers mainly based in the US.
The DC-10 conversion programme is essentially finished, notes Gambino, due to a dwindling supply of DC-10s and a lack of interest by most carriers to undertake conversions on these planes.
Pretty much the sole interest in these conversions lies with Fedex Corp. which, along with the MD-10/11s, forms the backbone of its express fleet. Boeing currently has a dedicated programme for DC10 cargo conversions in conjunction with MD11 conversions for Fedex.
The DC10 conversion to MD10 involves replacing the flight deck to install a new Advanced Common Flight deck (ACF) modification. This means replacing the ageing flight deck and avionics and in its place a modern six fl at panel display setup which enables the three flight crew configuration of the old DC10 to be reduced to a standard two-person crew.
To date the company has undertaken 83 DC-10, 32 MD-10 and 38 MD-11 conversions with a backlog of three MD-11s, and17 MD-10s in the pipeline for Fedex.
But as this programme gradually winds down, future Boeing work will come in the form of 767 conversions. In 2003 the group concluded an agreement through which it became the sole company licensed by Boeing to convert 767-200 passenger aircraft to freighters with the Boeing Amended Type Certificate.
That agreement also gives Alenia Aeronavali rights to manufacture or procure the necessary conversion kits for use in the modification and to market the modification service globally. The converted 767- 200s will have a capacity of nearly 42,400kg with a range of nearly 5,150 km.
Boeing and Aeronavali formally launched the B767-200 programme in 2005 with a ten-aircraft conversion order, with options worth nearly US$100 million, from US-based Cargo Aircraft Management. The launch aircraft was an ex-American Airlines 767-200ER.
Alenia Aeronavali is modifying the first Boeing 767-200 passenger airplanes into freighters at their facilities in Italy. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2008.
“With the eventual retirements of our DC-8 freighters world-wide, we believe that the Boeing 767-200 Special Freighter will provide our lease customers the highest quality, most reliable replacement aircraft available.” said Peter Fox, CAM’s President/Chairman.
“Specially designed as a 20-position freighter, the modification, we believe, will become the dominant medium wide-body freighter in the world.”
Feedstock problems
But a robust conversion market is being hampered by a lack of available aircraft.
“Our feeling is that demand for conversions is very high, but unfortunately feedstock is the issue,’’ said Gambino.
Potential customers are seeking conversions of ATR and 767 aircraft but because of high oil prices airlines are opting to keep the aircraft in service because both models are very efficient and still very popular as passenger aircraft.
It’s a waiting game he notes, as many carriers utilizing these models are waiting on new ATR deliveries and the start of B787 deliveries, which Boeing recently announced would be delayed by between three to six months.
This has resulted in some carriers opting to purchase new production freighters, such as the 767-300F and A330, because of this feedstock shortage.
Demand is being driven by a healthy cargo environment in which cargo growth is averaging 6 per cent per annum, according to Gambino citing Airbus, Boeing andhis own company’s statistics.
Currently Alenia Aeronavali does not undertake conversions on any Airbus aircraft, but its facilities could accommodate such an aircraft and Gambino says its possible that the company could one day move into that aircraft type. “Never say never,”he says with a laugh.
A lower barrier to entry
Gambino is confident of a steady market for conversions, because of the advantageous economics involved. While established airlines clearly benefit from the lower cost converted freighter alternative to production line freighters, start-up carriers are also able to tap the cost benefits.
“Conversions off er a very convenient opportunity for start-ups to enter the market,’’ he said. “It’s a very economical solution with a very close break even point for a new company which can then go forward to purchase factor freighters once they are more established.”
What is a good candidate?
When it comes to determining what aircraft type makes a good candidate for conversion a number of key factors make the decision clear. Weight capability is foremost, said Gambino.“When you convert a passenger aircraft to a cargo you need lift, you need to maximize payload vs range ratio,” he said. The aircraft must also be relatively young – not only in terms of absolute years, but also take-off and landing cycles– in the range of about 24-25,000cycles, he added.
As to what this translates to in absolute years, “each aircraft has its own story”. The MD-11 for instance is a very young aircraft at around 12 years while the DC-10 at 35 years still a viable conversion candidate. The 767 on the other hand is in the range of 16-18 years of age, but will soon drop to about 15 years as more become available for conversion, he said.