EADS/EFW, Airbus and Irkut Prepare the Foundation of a Joint Venture for Freighter Conversion
Dresden, 10 October 2006
EADS, representing Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer and EFW (Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH), EADS’ freighter conversion centre based in Dresden (Germany), signed an agreement with the leading Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut, preparing the foundation of a Joint Venture responsible for the conversion of Airbus A320 family aircraft into freighters. The Joint Venture will manage the conversion work in Germany and Russia.
This agreement is the result of the successful completion of a feasibility study of the conversion of single aisle passenger aircraft into freighters. It was signed by EADS CEO Tom Enders, on behalf of Airbus and EFW, and Alexey Fedorov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Irkut and General Director and Chief Designer of RAC “MiG on the sideline of the Russian-German forum “Petersburger Dialog”.
The planned Joint Venture and the individual partners will design the conversions, manufacture the conversion kits, perform the conversions and market, and sell the conversion services. Production is scheduled to start in 2010. The Joint Venture will be established based upon parity between the European partners Airbus and EFW and the initial Russian partner, Irkut. At a later stage the program shall be carried on at the Russian side under the aegis of the United Aircraft Corporation. The Parties are considering using a factory in the Russian city of Lukhovitsy (near Moscow) as a conversion facility. In Germany, EFW in Dresden will also perform conversions. The conversion kits will be manufactured in Russia.
Initially, an average of 30 A320s and A321s are planned to be converted per year. The total market share to be captured by the Joint Venture is estimated at 400 aircraft from 2010 to 2025. Both Russian and international freight operators are considered to be potential customers.
The signature in Dresden follows a Letter Of Intent signed at the ILA Airshow in Berlin in May 2006.
Today, conversion of Airbus aircraft is carried out by EADS subsidiary EFW. This company converts up to 20 A300 and A310 per year. The single aisle freighter conversion agreement will expand the conversion to include the A320 family, opening up a new worldwide market for the A320. As there is currently an increasing deficit of cargo aircraft in the market, there is a high demand for the conversion of passenger aircraft into cargo versions.
During such a conversion the passenger cabin is dismantled and a new reinforced floor and cargo loading/unloading equipment are added. In order to simplify cargo loading, a bigger cargo hatch is installed in the aircraft fuselage.
Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China, Japan and in the Middle East. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint company with BAE Systems.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of € 34.2 billion and employed a workforce of about 113,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo. .
Irkut
Irkut is a strategic partner of EADS and an official supplier of Airbus. In December 2005, EADS purchased a 10% stake in Irkut and, as of March 2006, EADS has had a representative on the Irkut Board of Directors. According to contracts signed in 2004 and 2006, Irkutsk Aviation Plant (main production centre of Irkut) has started production of floor grids, nose landing gear bay components, keel beams, flap tracks and wing ribs and stringers A320 aircraft as well as wing ribs and flap tracks for A330/A340 family.
Modernisation of Irkut’s production facilities to support the production of Airbus components was recently carried out by a joint Irkut/Airbus team of specialists. All the main processes including mechanical and thermal processing, galvanic, painting and others have been certified according to Airbus standards.
Contacts for the Media:
| Gregor v. Kursell | EADS |
Tel.: +49 89 607 34255 |
| Anne Galabert | Airbus |
Tel.: +33 5 61 93 34 31 |
| Sabine Klie | Elbe Flugzeugwerke |
Tel.: +49 351 88392488 www.efw.eads.net |
| Elena Fjodorowa | Irkut |
Tel.: +7 (495) 777-21-01 dob.. 75-32 |
