Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), a joint venture between ST Engineering and Airbus, is strengthening its footprint in China’s rapidly expanding aviation market after signing a contract with Hong Kong-based aircraft lessor Asia Pacific Aviation Leasing Group (APAL) for the passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion of an Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
Under the agreement, the Airbus A330-300 will undergo conversion at one of EFW’s partner facilities starting in the second quarter of 2026. Technical planning and certification activities for the programme will be carried out at EFW’s headquarters in Dresden, Germany.
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Hong Wei Zhao, CEO of APAL, welcomed the collaboration, highlighting the importance of EFW’s expertise in freighter conversions. He noted that the project forms part of APAL’s broader strategy to modernise its fleet and strengthen its presence in China’s cargo aviation market, which the company considers a key growth area. Zhao added that the lessor plans to allocate additional resources to support expansion in the region and that the partnership represents APAL’s first freighter conversion programme with EFW.
EFW CEO Jordi Boto said the Airbus A330P2F platform is well-positioned to meet the evolving requirements of the medium-sized freighter segment. He added that EFW looks forward to supporting APAL with a high-performance solution as the lessor expands its cargo fleet and increases its participation in the air freight market.
