Latvia-headquartered wet-lease and cargo operator SmartLynx has ordered six A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions from ST Engineering and Airbus’ German joint venture Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW).

Smartlynx Airlines CEO Zygimantas Surintas said the order forms part of his company’s ambition to become the largest operator of A321 freighters. “We are convinced that this type of aircraft will become the top choice for customers globally,” he said, announcing the deal Feb. 16.

The EFW A321P2F conversion can accommodate up to 14 containers on its main deck and up to 10 on the lower deck, holding more than 28 metric tons.

The SmartLynx conversions, scheduled for 2022 and 2023, will be performed at ST Engineering’s conversion sites in Singapore and China. ST Engineering and EFW are expanding their conversion facilities in China and the U.S., increasing their capacity across all Airbus P2F programs to about 60 slots per year by 2024.