Aeronautical Engineers (AEI) has started a third Boeing MD-80 Special Freighter (SF) conversion to Aeronaves, a year after the Mexican airline ordered the aircraft.

The work on the MD-80SF will take place at AEI’s Commercial Jet facility in Miami (US). Pictured above is the AEI MD-80 conversion prototype. Aeronaves operates two AEI MD-80SF, and the third will be an MD-83 variant. The MD-80SF can carry 12 pallets.

AEI delivered its first MD-80SF to Aeronaves in March 2014. The conversion company says this will be the sixth MD-80SF it has delivered. AEI senior vice president for sales and marketing, Robert Convey, says: “We are beginning to see an uptick in the level of interest in our MD-80SF conversion programme.”

In 2015, AEI has delivered three Boeing 737-400 Special Freighters, one each to DHL, Cargoair and Swiftair. They all received their aircraft in February. In December, AEI says it delivered its 400th conversion, an 737-400SF 11 pallet position, owned by Vx Capital Partners and operated by TNT, in Liege (Belgium).