Boeing To Expand 737-800BCF Conversion Capacity

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Boeing announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Costa Rica-based maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (COOPESA) to expand conversion capacity for the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF). As part of the agreement, Boeing and COOPESA will open two lines for converting 737-800 passenger aircraft to freighters in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The first line is expected to open in early 2022 followed by the second later in the year.

“Boeing forecasts 1,500 freighter conversions will be needed over the next 20 years to meet growing demand,” the company said. “Of those, 1,080 will be standard-body conversions, with nearly 30% of that demand coming from North America and Latin America.”

737-800BCF conversion operations currently take place at locations in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Jinan, China. According to Boeing, it has orders and commitments for more than 180 737-800BCFs from 15 customers on four continents. Last March, the company delivered the 50th 737-800BCF since the first converted model entered service in 2018.

Kate O'Connor
Kate O’Connor works as AVweb's Editor-in-Chief. She is a private pilot, certificated aircraft dispatcher, and graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Notice, not one of these present and future conversion companies are in the US. All of this global demand seems to bypass the current US aviation trades and workforce. Sad.

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