PEMCO World Air Services (PEMCO) has held ceremony to mark the cutting of a cargo-door opening in a passenger airframe for the conversion of its first Boeing Next Generation 737-700 Passenger-to-FlexCombi aircraft.
The event is a milestone for Bahrain-based Chisholm Enterprises, the customer for this aircraft. Its subsidiary Texel Air, a non-scheduled cargo airline, will operate the B737-700 FlexCombi from Bahrain International Airport.
PEMCO director of conversion programs, Mike Andrews says: “To reach this moment in the development of the B737-700 passenger-to-freighter conversion program solidifies our presence as a global leader in the B737 aircraft conversion marketplace.
“We are pleased with the performance of our Tampa cargo conversion team and continue to move forward developing innovative products that meet increasing customer demand for B737 conversions.”
The subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group expects to receive US Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type certification (STC) approval for its B737-700 conversion programs by the third quarter of 2018.
After the initial FAA issuance, PEMCO plans to certify the programs with the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Civil Aviation Administration of China shortly thereafter.
PEMCO intends to offer three configurations of the PEMCO B737-700 FlexCombi – a 24-passenger cabin plus a 2,640 cubic foot cargo hold for up to 30,000 pounds of payload; a 12-passenger cabin plus a 3,005 cubic foot cargo hold for up to 35,000 pounds; or full-freighter mode consisting of a 3,370 cubic foot cargo hold for up to 40,000 pounds.
PEMCO also intends to offer a full-freighter version, the B737-700F, with up to 45,000 pounds of payload, and 3,844 cubic feet of total volume.
