GA Telesis secured four additional firm orders for 737-800SF freighter conversions with Aeronautical Engineers (AEI). GA Telesis’ leasing, investments, finance and trading group executed the contract.

The first of the two originally contracted passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions was completed in March and delivered to Ethiopian Airlines. The second freighter aircraft is expected to be completed in May.

The additional order will be comprised of three conversion slots in the second half of 2021, with the remaining conversion slot reserved for early 2022. All work will be performed by the authorized AEI Conversion Center, Commercial Jet, in Dothan, AL. The LIFT group will continue to evaluate additional 737SF slots and other freighter aircraft models to support the global air cargo industry’s expanding main deck freighter needs.

“We are very pleased with the response from the air cargo market since signing our initial commitment almost a year ago, and we will continue to invest in our conversion strategy to support cargo airlines worldwide,” Marc Cho, president of the LIFT group, said.

“The asset transaction group (ATG) continues to see multiple opportunities to grow our 737-800SF portfolio, and the GA Telesis Ecosystem continues to deliver value across the platform that differentiates us from other freight lessors,” David Ellis, senior vice president of ATG, said. “Our ability to provide spares support, engine, APU, leasing and contributions from our various MROs add significant value to our customers beyond what many of our competitors can offer.”