Fast Learners

TrueNoord Industry Officer Angus von Schoenberg shares insight with Keith Mwanalushi on the subject of passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions.

 

With soft conversions no longer permissible in EASA member states, operators are increasingly asking for versatile cargo solutions that can adapt to shifting market needs. Keith Mwanalushi reports.

A soft conversion refers to the use of a passenger aircraft, already certified under a Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) for passenger service, to transport cargo in the cabin. This can involve removing seats and securing cargo directly to the cabin floor using nets attached to their tracks. Alternatively, cargo boxes are placed on the seats and properly restrained.

In either scenario, the operator must first obtain approval from the relevant civil aviation authorities by submitting a request for an exemption, as the aircraft will be temporarily used for a type of commercial operation different from its original design and certification.

“The exemptions were introduced to address the logistical challenges caused by the pandemic, which led to a surge in demand for cargo transport,” says Lucia Soffientini, Airworthiness Manager at Air Worthy. But she points out that “soft conversions” are no longer permissible for EASA member state operators. After a thorough review, the exemption was withdrawn on 31 July 2022, which means that commercial cargo can no longer be carried in the passenger cabin and must instead be transported only on aircraft specifically certified as commercial freighters.

 

A Thing of the Past

Angus von Schoenberg, Industry Officer at regional lessor TrueNoord, says that soft conversions like those seen during the pandemic are largely a thing of the past and demand in the regional and narrowbody markets is now primarily focused on full passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions.

“The only question now is whether the conversion involves a lighter package freighter set-up or a full P2F conversion with a cargo door, reinforced floor and rollers to handle air freight containers,” he says.

Soffientini agrees that the shortage of freighters on the market has led to a growth in demand for P2F conversions. “This is an incredibly complex and highly monitored process with extremely rigorous Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for different aircraft types, which require approval to achieve airworthiness certification prior to entering service,” she says, adding that Air Worthy is currently working on several P2F projects.

The demand for soft conversions still exists but is more limited and targeted than it was in 2020-2021. As some industry observers note, the pandemic was a time of much-needed improvisation, but the market has since stabilised.

Ryan DeBrusk, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at De Havilland Canada, argues that steady demand remains – particularly in regional markets where cargo volumes do not always justify dedicated freighters, and operational flexibility is highly valued. “Airlines see value in soft conversions as a cost-effective way to meet cargo needs without the need for capital investment of dedicated freighters,” he says.

 

Quick-Turn Options

Quick-turn, sometimes known as quick-change (QC) conversions, are temporary reconfigurations aimed at providing fleet flexibility, typically to meet short-term increases in cargo demand.

These conversions can be completed in as little as seven days. They involve removing passenger seats to make space for cargo on the main deck floor but typically do not include any structural modifications such as reinforced floors or the addition of cargo doors.

At Air Cargo Europe 2025 in Munich, Liebherr-Aerospace presented a Class F cargo conversion – a rapid passenger-to-freighter conversion solution developed and certified by LHColus Tecnologia Ltda, based in São José dos Campos, Brazil.

According to Liebherr, the Class F cargo conversion involves a straightforward, quick and fully reversible modification of the aircraft cabin. The time required on the ground to complete the conversion, whether from passenger to cargo or vice versa, is only a fraction of what is typically needed for a traditional narrowbody cargo conversion.

Will Dew, Managing Director – Commercial at Liebherr-Aerospace Saline, Inc., believes the LHColus-developed offering brings a new and rather disruptive approach to quick-turn conversions and says the market response has been positive.

He says that while Class F operations began in Brazil in February 2022, the solution has only recently been offered on a global scale. As a result, it remains a relatively new product and has not yet been widely implemented in actual conversions outside of Brazil.

“This conversion offers a great option for light e-commerce cargo,” adds Dew. “There is increasing demand for point-to-point freighters, especially narrowbody and Regional.”  Dew believes that any region experiencing seasonal or temporary declines in passenger traffic – leading airlines to park portions of their fleet – could see Class F cargo operations as a practical and viable solution.

“So far, talks with potential customers have revealed some interest in customisation,” he says. “However, the Class F conversion is inherently designed to be highly flexible, robust, and economical.”  He says that once operators become familiar with the Class F conversion kit “package”, they often discover that the level of customisation they initially anticipated is already built into the product. “Perhaps the only customisation request we haven’t been able to accommodate so far is the combi version, as the Class F configuration is not certified for mixed passenger and cargo operations,” he says.

 

Serving Niche Markets 

De Havilland Canada (DHC) anticipates ongoing interest in QC solutions due to its ability to serve niche market segments.

According to DeBrusk, regional quick-change conversions enable the OEM to address specialised operational needs – such as ecommerce logistics, humanitarian aid, and essential service routes to remote or under-served regions where traditional narrowbodies or larger dedicated freighters are not practical. “Further, they provide the operator with flexibility to use the aircraft in passenger configuration and bulk-load cargo configuration depending on their operational requirements,” he says.

Gilles Collaveri, Business Development Director at ATR, similarly sees regional aviation quick-turn conversions as a niche market, typically driven by specific operational needs. “For example, our main operator in French Polynesia, Air Tahiti occasionally reconfigures its aircraft to transport time-sensitive cargo like pearl oysters between islands, requiring full conversion and reconversion within hours. This shows the temporary case-by-case nature of such operations, rather than a sustained trend.”

 

Fuller Conversions

ATR offers a wide range of aircraft configurations, including passenger, freight, VIP cabin, medical evacuation, and special mission variants.

As Collaveri explains, these options are a key part of ATR’s strategy to diversify its product offering to better meet operator requirements. He notes that ATR aircraft are frequently subjected to P2F conversions, but once converted, they are typically intended to remain in freighter configuration for the remainder of their operational life.

TrueNoord’s Von Schoenberg observes that use rates are lower for freighter aircraft, adding: “In the current high passenger aircraft demand environment, there is very little supply of ATRs for conversion. This means that, for example, engines can remain on wing for a much longer period than on a passenger aircraft. An aircraft owner seeking a new operator might prefer a freighter application for a late-life aircraft to avoid the cost of expensive engine overhauls.”

There are three main conversion options for ATR 72 aircraft in the regional segment. One includes installing a Large Cargo Door (LCD) to handle containers, while the other two are more basic and cost-effective package freighter conversions.

Embraer has also introduced a P2F conversion featuring a large cargo door. However, the market for this class of aircraft is significantly smaller compared to the cargo market for 737-sized aircraft.

Based on ATR’s 2025 market outlook, the demand for turboprop freighters is projected to rise significantly over the next two decades, with an estimated need for around 500 aircraft by 2044. This growth is largely driven by the ongoing expansion of e-commerce. FedEx, the launch customer for the ATR freighter in December 2020, currently operates more than 20 of the 40 ATR 72-600F aircraft it has on order.

 

Beyond Modification

DHC is currently developing several cargo conversion options, including the package freighter, the large cargo door, and the cargo combi configurations.

Ryan DeBrusk says the package freighter programme is progressing steadily, with the first aircraft now undergoing modification at the company’s MRO facilities in Calgary. Delivery of this initial unit is targeted for the end of 2025.

Technical specifications from DHC indicate that the package freighter is designed for bulk loading and offers a maximum payload capacity of 10.2 tonnes. The large cargo door (LCD) configuration allows for the loading of up to nine LD3 containers – two more than its closest competitor, the company claims.

Operators sometimes seek to enhance cargo capacity on passenger aircraft without undertaking a full freighter conversion. To meet this demand, ATR is working with external suppliers through STCs to explore modifications such as removing front-row seats and adding cargo space beneath the overhead bins. These solutions are designed to increase cargo capacity while preserving the aircraft’s ability to carry passengers.

Collaveri says: “These requests typically come from operators serving remote regions or specialised industries where passenger volumes are low while the need to transport equipment and supplies is high.”

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Article courtesy of LARA Magazine

23 September 2025