FTAI Aviation Ltd. and Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. have announced a collaboration focused on delivering a more cost-effective Boeing 737-800 freighter solution to airline partners globally. The collaboration will combine FTAI's engine maintenance capabilities with AEI's cargo conversion leadership to deliver customized freighter aircraft at scale and at a lower cost.
“The Boeing 737-800 is poised to become the workhorse of narrowbody freight, but growth has been constrained by the lack of an engine solution designed for cargo economics,” said David Moreno, President of FTAI. “We can build and maintain lower cycle engines customized for cargo enabling FTAI and AEI to deliver aircraft at a significantly lower operating cost. This collaboration adds cargo to FTAI’s CFM56 platform, extending the engine’s lifecycle across passenger, cargo and power.”
"AEI has led the global narrowbody freighter conversion market for over 60 years and has converted more aircraft than any other provider in the industry," said Robert T. Convey, Senior Vice President at AEI. "Combining our conversion expertise with FTAI's engine maintenance services gives airlines a proven path to freighter capacity built for the long term."
