Embraer to re-equip part of its fleet from passenger to freight planes

Embraer plans to make a decision about launching a passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion program for the Embraer 190 and 195 E1 next year, Report informs, citing Aviation Week.

“There is big demand for aircraft of that size,” Rodrigo Silva e Souza, Embraer Commercial Aircraft Vice President Marketing, said Nov. 15 at Dubai Airshow.

The aircraft is aimed to carry around 14 tons of cargo up to a range of 2,000 nm. Embraer has not yet made a firm decision to launch the program. If and when it does, it will start a 24-month development program for a possible market entry in 2024. Embraer is not currently active in the cargo market.

Embraer predicts airlines will order around 700 freighters in the market segment it serves over the next 20 years. According to the latest version of its market forecast, released Nov. 15 in Dubai, two thirds of the cargo aircraft will be for growth while one third will replace existing capacity.