Innovative aircraft conversion firm Alfor Aviation has signed a deal to open a conversion base at Teesside International Airport in the UK.
The 50-year deal, which was signed at the recent Farnborough Airshow, will see the British-Turkish conversion firm invest £50m in a purpose-built aircraft conversion facility with new hangars, engineering workshops and warehousing.
Once fully operational, its facility will be capable of converting up to 24 passenger aircraft into freighters each year, with a target start date of the end of 2027. Alfor will also relocate its headquarters to Teesside.
Alfor Aviation’s conversion system is designed to cut operating costs by using existing belly doors instead of cutting a new maindeck cargo door.
ULDs can then be transferred between the hold and the maindeck using an “internal loading system” comprised of two elevators.
Phil Forster, managing director of Teesside International Airport, said: “This agreement is a big endorsement of our plan to grow our airport.
“We’ve had huge projects and backing to the Airport Business Park in recent years through Willis Aviation, our FedEx cargo agreement, Airbourne Colours and Draken expanding their presence at Teesside.”
He added: “When this campus is complete, our airport will be home to global companies carrying our aircraft repair, maintenance, overhaul, painting and conversion.
“Our land availability, Freeport status, excellent connectivity to road, rail and sea links – and our skilled workforce – is all helping to create opportunities to make us a one-stop-shop for operators.”
Alfor said the new conversion centre at Teesside will “significantly expand” its production capability beyond its original plans, “enabling the company to support growing global demand for passenger-to-freighter conversions driven by the rapid growth of e-commerce, express freight and integrated logistics networks”.
Omer Mafa, director of Alfor Aviation, said: “A key factor in our decision was Teesside Freeport. As the UK’s largest free trade zone, it provides exactly the kind of internationally competitive environment innovative aerospace businesses need.
“By relocating our headquarters here, and investing for the next 50 years, we are making a clear statement about our confidence in both the future of Teesside and British aerospace manufacturing.”
It is hoped the new conversion centre will create 250 permanent jobs at the new facility.
Alfor aims to begin converting Airbus A330-300s, citing plenty of available inventory as the aircraft age in service.
These aircraft can be converted in as little as three months compared to much longer for a typical conversion, pointed out the company. A330-200 conversions are the next target.
The company is currently working to achieve its first conversion on an aircraft of its own this year as it targets European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification.
