AEI to provide Macquarie AirFinance with freighter conversions

Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) is pleased to announce the company has entered an agreement to provide Macquarie AirFinance with four B737-800SF freighter conversions to help meet the growing demand in e-commerce and express cargo.

The aircraft will be converted to freighters by the authorized AEI Conversion Center, Commercial Jet in Miami, Florida. Passenger-to-freighter conversions form a natural progression of Macquarie AirFinance’s portfolio strategy, enabling the useful life of aircraft to be extended up to 40 years.

“We welcome Macquarie AirFinance to the AEI family of satisfied customers and are glad they have chosen the AEI B737-800SF freighter conversion,” remarked Robert T. Convey, AEI Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Beyond the benefits of lower fuel consumption and operating costs compared to older 737 Classic freighters, the AEI B737-800SF freighter was designed for operational dependability in real-world environments, which is especially beneficial in the fast-paced segment of express cargo.”

John Willingham, Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie AirFinance, said: “We are pleased to partner with AEI to offer our customers in the air cargo sector a proven and efficient way to expand their operations and replace less efficient aircraft. We are seeing particularly strong demand in the express freight sector as the e-commerce industry continues to grow. As one of the largest lessor owners of mature 737-800 aircraft, it makes business sense to extend their life and continue to evolve our offering.”

The AEI converted B737-800SF freighter offers a main deck payload of up to 52,700 lbs. (23,904 kg) and incorporates 11 full height 88” x 125” container positions, plus an additional position for an AEP/AEH. The conversion also incorporates new floor beams aft of the wing box, a large 86” x 137” main cargo door with a single vent door system.

AEI’s forward-thinking design allows for containers to be loaded into the aircraft a full 16.5” aft of the forward door jamb, ensuring ground operators have sufficient manoeuvring room which minimises potential door and aircraft strikes. Additionally, the AEI B737-800SF includes a flexible Ancra Cargo Loading System, a rigid 9g barrier, five supernumerary seats as standard, a galley, and full lavatory.

About AEI

Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) is a global leader in the aircraft passenger-to-freighter conversion business and is the oldest conversion company in existence today. Since the company’s founding in 1958, AEI has developed over 130 Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) and has modified over 510 aircraft with the STCs. AEI helps its customers extend aircraft life and increase the overall value of aircraft assets by continuously focusing on dependable and flexible product offerings. AEI currently offers passenger-to-freighter conversions for the Boeing 737-800, 737-400, 737-300, MD-80 series, and CRJ200 aircraft. www.aeronautical-engineers.com.
 

About Macquarie AirFinance

Macquarie AirFinance Limited, an aviation lessor founded in 2006, provides aircraft and capital to the world’s airlines and advisory and management services to aircraft owners. The company owns, manages and leases commercial jet aircraft internationally through offices in Europe, Asia and North America. Macquarie AirFinance is owned by Macquarie Group (50%), PGGM Infrastructure Fund (25%) and Sunsuper (25%).

For further information, visit www.macquarie.aero.