ST Engineering, Airbus and Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) achieved a key milestone in their joint A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion program in September this year with the re-delivery of the ‘head of version’ to launch customer, Vallair. The A321 converted freighter, operated by Qantas for Australia Post, entered service on October 27, 2020.
EFW had received the original Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the A321P2F from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in February this year, and the Validation STC from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in July. Operator-specific enhancements were subsequently incorporated into the freighter and certified prior to its re-delivery.