AerCap Upbeat After ‘Big Twin’ Certification Milestone

DUBAI—AerCap is at this year’s Dubai Airshow fresh from securing certification and first deliveries of the Boeing 777-300ERSF conversion program.

AerCap Cargo embarked on the joint program, dubbed The Big Twin, with Israel Aerospace Industries in October 2019 and originally invested in 20 conversions.

The first two aircraft were delivered to program launch customer Kallita Air in September and entered revenue service the following month. The aircraft are part of a seven-strong order from the U.S. freight operator as it looked to replace its aging 747 fleet.

“We got the aircraft certified at the end of August, and since then we have delivered six aircraft. They have all gone to Kalitta Air,” says Richard Greener, AerCap’s head of cargo, speaking at the show where one of Kalitta’s converted freighters is on display.

“Next week we deliver our first aircraft to [Hong Kong-based] FlyMeta. After that we expect to deliver another two to three aircraft by the end of the year. Then all the remaining aircraft will be delivered in 2026-27,” he says.

Other customers to sign up for the conversion program include cargo specialist Challenge Group and Emirates. “In total there are 58 firm orders for the program including the AerCap commitment,” Greener says.

The 777-300ERSF features a 100-ton payload capacity, a key part of the proposition as it looks to provide a more efficient aircraft to provide high-volume capacity.

“That was always the mission for AerCap to have a 100-ton freighter that could take densities that the express and e-commerce operators like,” Greener says, pointing to strong interest from China and express operators. Four of the Kalitta aircraft are in service with DHL.

The conversion process takes around five to six months and Greener points to the appeal of the 777-300ER as the platform for the program.

“Boeing built 800 of these so you have a massive amount of feedstock,” he says, while also pointing to the attraction of having an established sole source engine in the GE90.

“So, we are operating a very standard aircraft, and people like standardization. What we have done, as much as we can, is tried to standardize it as much as possible,” he says, but also points to enhancements, such as the addition of LED lighting onboard.