Telair International is set to launch a cargo loading system (CLS) that allows the lower deck of a narrow-body aircraft to be quickly converted for different cargo requirements, with launch customer Lufthansa order 100 of the new system.
The CLS consists of pre-assembled floor modules that can be reconfigured "within a few hours" to accommodate full bulk or containerised cargo loading– depending on the type of freight that needs to be loaded and transported.
The Modular CLS has been developed as a post-delivery modification or retrofit conversion for the A320 family of aircraft and certification is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020.
Lufthansa Group has ordered more than 100 systems, to be installed on new A320/A321neo aircraft over the next six years, beginning in the second quarter of 2020.
“This intelligent solution will help our customers optimise the performance of their fleets and reduce operational costs throughout the life cycle,” said Marko Enderlein, chief executive of Telair International.
“Our engineers have been pushing the idea of a modular and reconfigurable cargo system for quite some time,” said Enderlein. “As the aerospace market continues to grow strongly, and airlines are being increasingly challenged to be flexible to varied loads, the time had come to develop the Modular Cargo Loading System. Now that we have it, we are certain it will be a difference maker in the world cargo loading.”
The Modular Cargo Loading System is targeted at airline fleet groups, leasing companies, and conversion houses.
Telair believes leasing companies will benefit from an increase in the aircraft’s residual value, as they will not be bound to historically driven lower-deck cargo compartment utilisation.
Instead, the leasing companies will be able to offer full long-term flexibility of lower deck cargo hold usage.
Post-delivery aircraft modifications, all conversions, and installation steps can be carried out by a certified MRO.
