AIRE (Aircraft Interior Refurbishment España) has completed its latest cargo conversion of passenger aircraft, following its first collaboration with the Philippines’ largest carrier, Cebu Pacific Air.
Two of Cebu’s eight A330s have been converted. “We saw this pandemic as an opportunity to revisit our operations to further improve wherever possible. Now more than ever, transport of goods must not be hampered, and the A330 reconfiguration will help us address the growing demand with a cabin fully dedicated for cargo. These converted aircraft will effectively enable us to carry more goods while doing so in a more efficient manner compared to regular A330s that rely on belly space,” stated Alex Reyes, Vice President for Commercial at Cebu Pacific.
AIRE Part 21J worked alongside the engineering team of Cebu to meet the seven-day lead time. Within this period, the required post-mod configurations were fixed and the compliance demonstration documents package released. This included the ICA documentation to process the exemption application under Article 71(1) Regulation (EU) 2018/1139.
AIRE was responsible for the manufacturing and procurement of all the materials required to undertake the aircraft conversion including nets and additional EFPMS procurement. The company manufactured two kits of placards (to indicate additional emergency equipment position, cargo areas, and relevant limitations) as well as two carpet kits for new layout.
“This project is a step toward solidifying the position of AIRE as an established Part 21J company in the cabin interiors market”, said Juan Arevalo, Engineering Director within AIRE. “The project was challenging since the beginning, but thanks to our tireless team and the experience accumulated on cargo operations over the previous months, we completed the project in compliance with structural integrity, fire protection, and emergency evacuation requirements following EASA, IATA, and TCH recommendations, all in one week.” continued Arevalo.
