Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) has converted the cabin of a wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft from passenger to cargo for Turkmenistan Airlines, reports FlightGlobal information website.

The aircraft was refitted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke, a joint venture between ST Aerospace and Airbus (the majority of the shares belong to the European aircraft manufacturer) in Dresden (Germany).

Let us remind that the contract for the purchase of two used cargo aircraft of the A330-200 model of the P2F modification was signed in January 2021 between the French company Airbus S.A.S and the “Turkmenhowayollary” Agency.

It is expected that the first aircraft with registration number EZ-F429 will be handed over to the Turkmen air carrier in March 2023.

The Airbus A330-200P2F is optimized for transporting cargo of various configurations over long distances. The weight of the transported cargo can reach 61 tons. With such aircraft, it is not difficult to deliver it to a distance of up to 7,700 km. At the same time, the cost of cargo delivery per ton is significantly reduced.

A330P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter) conversion program launched in 2012. Within the framework of the work on the new model, the joint venture Elbe Flugzeugwerke is responsible for the conversion and marketing. ST Aerospace is the lead company for the program and technical lead for the engineering phase. Airbus acts as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and also assists with certification.

Today, the fleet of Turkmenistan Airlines consists of three dozen aircraft manufactured by Boeing, Bombardier, British Aerospace and Ilyushin Design Bureau.

Turkmenistan Airlines will be the first airline in Central Asia to have Airbus A330-200P2F family aircraft in its fleet. The delivery is carried out within the framework of the “National Program for the Development of Civil Aviation of Turkmenistan for 2013-2030”. Aircraft A330-200P2F will permit the airline to continue to actively develop and expand its network of international cargo destinations.