Boeing India Partnered With GMR To Convert Boeing 737 Passenger Planes To Freighters.

Boeing India Partnered With GMR To Convert Boeing 737 Passenger Planes To Freighters.

Boeing India and GMR Technic signed a contract to convert a Boeing 737 passenger plane to a freighter, designated the 737 BCF. The next phase of Boeing’s 75-year partnership with India, according to Chief Strategy Officer Marc Allen, will be represented by this action.

While the American giant wants to increase its complicated aircraft modification skills in India and take advantage of the expanding cargo market demand, Boeing and GMR Aero Technic are setting up the passenger plane to freighter conversion line in Hyderabad.

The investment was made despite the worldwide economic downturn, which has had an impact on the global aircraft cargo industry. Additionally, it supports the US company’s expansion into India and follows a record-breaking plane order by the national carrier, Air India.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the demand for cargo worldwide declined by approximately 15% in January.

According to data source WorldACD, air freight rates are 28% lower now than they were this time last year.

With the help of an Indian provider of maintenance, repair, and overhaul GMR Aero Technic, Boeing said it will establish the conversion facility in Hyderabad.

The agreement would support India’s goals of becoming a major freight center and add to Boeing’s $1 billion supply chain sourcing from India, Chief Strategy Officer Marc Allen told reporters in New Delhi.

The proposed facility coincides with Boeing’s efforts to grow in India, which include a $24 million investment to build a logistics hub for aviation parts.

India’s manufacturing and e-commerce industries, particularly its Make in India effort, are predicted to propel its air cargo growth to an average annual rate of 6.3%, according to Boeing’s commercial market outlook.

Boeing predicts that there will be a demand for more than 75 freighters, including new and modified freighters.

During the next 20 years, there will be a need for more than 1,700 passenger planes to be converted into freighters, with roughly 600 of those requests coming from Asia, according to Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India.

He says India’s expanding electronics industry and e-commerce demand are improving freighter prospects.

Therefore, it is only fitting that we have the potential to establish a line to manufacture those freighters here in India, not just for India but for the region and the world, he said.

The pandemic’s drop in travel led to a record-breaking rush to convert outdated passenger planes into freighters. But analysts claim that when cargo rates decline, aircraft lessors may potentially be compelled to terminate conversions or get stuck with extra freighters.

Ashok Gopinath, CEO of GMR Aero Technic, told sources the relationship will take close to 18 months to become fully operational. In the interim, the representatives will oversee the technicians’ training.

According to Gopinath, the market for MRO services in India has been expanding at one of the quickest rates in the world.

The team will follow the stated pattern established by the Boeing engineers internationally, and the average period to convert the narrow body from a passenger carrier to a freight carrier will be 100 days, he continued.

It’s interesting to note that the Indian MRO facility will support the conversion of aircraft in the Asia Pacific area, which Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India, estimates will total 600 narrow-body aircraft over the next 20 years.

The President continued by saying that the partnership with GMR Aero Technic supports not only the estimated expansion of the cargo sector in the area but also the maturity of Indian MROs in the country to promote the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

India has set a goal of becoming a major hub for international freight, and Gupte pointed out that Boeing is in a good position to help it accomplish this.

He thinks that India’s cargo segment growth is sustainable because of the country’s structural changes, expansion of its exports, and expansion of its electronics industry.

Going forward, Gopinath noted that the Hyderabad facility can convert these aircraft to freight as the MRO company is already experienced with maintaining other narrow-body aircraft, like the Airbus A320 family, and that the company is also looking to increase its capacity by both increasing the numbers and adding newer wide-body aircraft as well.

According to the president of Boeing India, less than 10% of the value of an airplane is attributable to its final assembly. He pointed out that the complexity and maturity of the supply chain are the true indicators of a developing market, and India has been developing well over the past several years.

Boeing 737 freighter conversion

The Boeing 737 freighter conversion generally entails converting a mid-life 737-800, the historically most dependable aircraft, the 737NG model, from a passenger airplane into a freighter airplane, which entails a lot of work.

It involves essentially a complete overhaul of the aircraft, including the installation of a cargo door, structural work on the floors, installation of a full cargo loading system, changes to the flight deck, many flight tests, and ultimately redelivery of the aircraft as a narrow-body freighter.

So, the complete alteration is one of the most difficult and involved ones you can do to an airplane. It is, therefore, really exciting to bring this capacity to India and to do so in partnership with GMR, where we will set up a line for passenger freighter conversions for Boeing aircraft.

Boeing expanding it’s India operations

Boeing announced their investment in an India Logistics Center to better assist their customers in the Indian Civil Aviation sector with all-around service support.

This new facility aims to provide customers throughout the nation with effective, cost-effective, locally tailored service solutions, assisting them in maintaining improved fleet availability and higher mission readiness rates.

More than 150 Boeing aircraft, including the 737 MAX, 757, 777, and 787 Dreamliner models, are operated by airlines in India.

The American aerospace company claims that the Logistics Centre will initially help airline clients before extending its services to a wider network of Boeing clients in the region.

Through collaborating with its partners to develop an ecosystem of complete support packages and local Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities, Boeing is already providing local customers with support through the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub program.

According to the firm, this endeavour demonstrates Boeing’s dedication to “Made in India” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (an independent India).

The Indian Armed Forces currently fly a wide variety of Boeing aircraft, including the C-17 Globemaster III Strategic Air Lifter, 22 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters (with another 6 on order), 15 CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift & tandem-rotor choppers, and 12 P-8I “Poseidon” maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

Three Boeing VVIP aircraft and two Head of State planes are used by the Indian government.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma