AEI B737-800SF freighter gets DGCA clearance for India
Chennai-based cargo airline Afcom Holding Limited is leasing a previously converted AEI B737-800SF (MSN 33003) and will operate it from India.
Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) announced that India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved its supplemental type certificate (STC ST02690LA) for the 12-pallet-position Boeing 737-800SF freighter conversion. With this approval, AEI’s B737-800SF programme now holds clearances from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI), the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DCA) Guernsey, Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), Argentina’s National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), and the Indian DGCA.
Chennai-based Afcom Holding Limited, a cargo airline, is leasing a previously converted AEI B737-800SF (MSN 33003) and will operate it from India. This deal prompted AEI to secure approval from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“This STC Validation will allow Indian cargo operators access to the industry-leading AEI B737-800SF and a path towards greater profitability through affordability”, says Robert T. Convey, AEI Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “With India’s e-commerce and express markets continuing to grow, the B737-800SF will provide operators with the right blend of payload, volume, and economics to compete in an ever-changing world.”
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 manoeuvring room, which minimises 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 a full lavatory.
