Freight Boeing to add two 767F conversion lines with GAMECO in Guangzhou

In recent days, Boeing has presented its forecast for the Chinese aviation market with the conclusion, that the market will approximately doubly by 2040. With the expansion comes the demand for around 8,700 new aircraft, the manufacturer examined.

In the freight market, Boeing sees potential that around 1,700 freighter conversions will be needed to meet future demand over the next 20 years. Especially converted widebody aircraft, which have more capacity, will account for more than 40 percent of that demand.

Now, Boeing has made another step in providing capacity for these future developments in the market. Together with Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company (GAMECO), the manufacturer will establish two conversion lines for the Boeing 767-300BCF.

Peter Gao, vice president, Boeing Commercial Sales and Marketing for China, explained: “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.”

“GAMECO is very proud to extend its relationship with Boeing and their converted freighter program to include another aircraft type,” added Norbert Marx, general manager, GAMECO. “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.”

The agreement was announced over the course of the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. The two conversion lines are expected to open next years, when GAMECO could be the first MRO in China to convert the 767-300BCF.

GAMECO is already operating two 737-800BCF conversion likes for the manufacturer, with plans to add a third. These ambitious plans show that the demand is larger than ever, catalyzed through higher E-Commerce numbers during the pandemic.

The Boeing 767 passenger aircraft is not being built by the manufacturer anymore. Additionally, more and more airlines are phasing out the aircraft for more modern and cost-efficient airplanes. But especially due to its size and reliability, the 767 is popular for freight conversions.