Boeing and Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company (GAMECO) will establish two new 767-300 passenger-to-freighter conversion lines next year in Guangzhou. The announcement, made at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, builds on a 2019 agreement the two companies signed, which covered the launch of a 737-800 passenger-to-freighter conversion program.
With this, GAMECO will be the only Chinese MRO provider to conduct passenger-to-freighter conversion works on the 767-300s and 737-800s, says Boeing.
“It was mutually beneficial to continue building our relationship with GAMECO to provide additional conversion capacity for the 767-300BCF while supporting growth in the region. GAMECO has demonstrated excellent execution on the 737-800BCF program. We know it will bring the same expertise and proven capability to help deliver our medium widebody freighter conversions to our global customers,” says Boeing’s China vice-president for commercial sales and marketing, Peter Gao.
Boeing forecasts that 1,720 freighter conversions will be required over the next 20 years, with 520 of those conversions will be for widebodies, and that Asia-Pacific carriers would account for “more than 40 percent” of the demand.
To date, Boeing has received more than 95 orders and commitments for the 767-300BCFs.
“The introduction of the 767-300BCF program further grows GAMECO’s regional presence and enhances our strategic focus around meeting the strong customer demand. We will open the 767-300BCF conversion lines in our new hangar,” says GAMECO’s general manager Norbert Marx.
GAMECO is a joint venture between China Southern Airlines and Hutchison Whampoa, and specializes in aircraft and component MRO services. In February, GAMECO announced the addition of a third 737-800 passenger-to-freighter conversion line at its Guangzhou base.
