Aeronautical Engineers, Inc has received ETOPS 180 approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its B737-800SF freighter conversion.
The ETOPS 180 approval allows the B737-800SF freighter to fly 180-minute extended operations over water and remote regions.
Without ETOPS approval aircraft must be within 60 minutes flying time of an airport where they can make an emergency landing.
This opens operational routes in areas such as northern Africa and western China, AEI said.
Robert Convey, senior vice president of sales and marketing for AEI, said: “With the ETOPS 180 approval, our customers will have more opportunities to expand their routes and service the growing needs of global air cargo.”
The AEI converted B737-800SF freighter offers a maindeck payload of up to 23.9 tonnes and incorporates eleven full height 88” x 125” container positions, plus an additional position for an AEP/AEH.
