Alfor Aviation has unveiled a simplified system for passenger to freighter (P2F) conversions that is designed to cut operating costs by using existing belly doors instead of cutting a new main-deck cargo door.
With a proprietary “internal loading system” comprised of two elevators, standard Unit Load Device (ULD) containers can be loaded as usual and moved up to the main deck, company executives told Air Cargo News‘ sister title FlightGlobal during the Farnborough air show.
Alfor aims to begin converting Airbus A330-300s, citing plenty of available inventory as the aircraft age in service.
These aircraft can be converted in as little as three months compared to much longer for a typical conversion, pointed out the company.
A330-200 conversions are the next target, executives added.
“We think the conversion sector hasn’t really been rethought for the past 50, 60 years,” said Alfor director Omer Mafa. “So now we are excited about bringing something new to market.
The British-Turkish firm is currently working to achieve its first conversion on an aircraft of its own this year as it targets European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification.
Executives hope to make their first sales next year, but declined to name any specific customers who may have voiced interest.
Weight savings from the conversion combined with a quicker loading times could reduce overall freight movement costs by up to 40%, according to Alfor.
The company is specifically targeting e-commerce shipments where current routes along passenger flights may not be the most ideal cargo routes for delivery of those goods.
Alfor also announced facilities at Teesside Airport in the northeast of England as the site for its facility where it could convert 12 aircraft per year beginning as soon as 2027.
“People don’t want to spend more than the value of their existing old equipment is worth on a conversion,” Mafa said. “But since we offer them affordable solution, then it is worth to invest and give a second life to these aircraft instead of scrapping.”
Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) has been operating an A330-300P2F programme since 2012. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is also developing an A330-300P2F programme. IAI said in May that it had completed primary structural work on its A330-300P2F conversion prototype and expected certification by the end of the year.
There has been sustained demand for widebody freighters, but the number of widebody conversions last year was down on 2024 levels, with 30 widebody conversions having taken place in 2025 compared with 40 in 2024 as the widebody sector battles with a lack of feedstock.
