DALLAS — MRO Joramco, a subsidiary of the Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, has announced a new agreement with Boeing to establish a new Boeing Freighter Conversion Facility at Amman-Queen Alia Airport (AMM), Jordan.

The partnership will support the air cargo industry by giving a second life to former passenger airplanes by converting them into air freighters in a matter of months. The aforementioned facility will produce the Boeing 737-800BCF.

Firoz Tarapore, CEO at DAE, said, "We continue to expand our presence at our Amman, Jordan-based facility, which is expected to reach 22 maintenance lines by the end of 2024. This latest agreement underpins our commitment, and we look forward to continuing to deepen our relationship with Boeing as well as developing new product offerings for Joramco’s global customer base."

According to Boeing's Commercial Market Outlook, the global freighter fleet is expected to grow by 65% to more than 3.700 aircraft by 2042, and the growth will require the production and delivery of 2.800 cargo planes over the next two decades.

Middle East-Based Cargo Conversions

The inauguration of a new cargo conversion line in Jordan is not the first in the Middle East region. Israel is home to the largest cargo conversion facility in the world, operated by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV).

At the moment of writing, IAI offers conversions to seven different aircraft variants, including the Boeing 737-700, 737-800, 747-400, 767-200, 767-300, Airbus A330-300, and the "Big Twin" Boeing 777-300ER.

The latest Boeing 777-300ERSF aircraft is the most advertised cargo conversion from IAI; the type will be allowed to increase cargo volume by 25% compared to its younger sibling, the 777-200F pure freighter.

The project has already taken flight and is expected to enter service with the cargo airline Kalitta Air (K4) before the start of 2024.

Featured image: Joramco

https://airwaysmag.com/boeing-md-90-x-66a-conversion/