This agreement represents the first freighter conversion order Transcend has placed with Aeronautical Engineers, Inc.
The first 737-800 aircraft (MSN 35217) is commencing modification in December 2022. The authorised AEI Conversion Center, Commercial Jet based in Dothan, Alabama will accomplish conversion related touch labour on the aircraft. The second 737-800 will commence modification in March 2023, and will be modified at Commercial Jet’s Miami, Florida facility.
“We are pleased that Transcend has chosen the AEI B737-800SF freighter conversion over both our competitors’, and welcome them to the AEI family,” stated Robert T. Convey, AEI’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.
AEI is currently the only conversion company to have ETOPS 180 approval on the 737-800 freighter conversion. Additionally, AEI can convert all 737-800 line number aircraft including those with Flat Aft Pressure Bulkheads, and Split Scimitar winglets.
The AEI converted B737-800SF freighter offers a main deck payload of up to 52,700 lbs. (23,904 kg) and incorporates eleven 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 maneuvering room which minimizes 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.