EFW, MRO Japan Enter Deal For A320/321 Freighter Conversion

SINGAPORE—Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) and MRO Japan (MJP) have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the latter perform passenger to freighter (P2F) conversions on Airbus A320/A321 family aircraft.

The Okinawa-based MRO provider will be the first in Japan to have such capability and the third in the Asia-Pacific region after Singapore and China.

Established in 2015, MRO Japan’s major shareholders include All Nippon Airways, Jamco Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and several Okinawan stakeholders such as Okinawa Development Finance Corporation and Bank of Okinawa.

According to Mordor Intelligence data, EFW says Japan’s freighter and logistics market size is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 4.2% between 2024-2029, with air freight being the fastest growing market by mode of transport.

“Partnerships with experienced and well-backed solution providers such as MJP will provide the necessary strategic support as we expand our conversion capacity to capture opportunities in the growing Japanese air cargo market,” EFW CEO Jordi Boto said in a statement.

Japan is no stranger to the A321P2F platform, with freight company Yamato Holdings taking delivery of its first of three A321P2Fs in November 2023. The aircraft will be flown by Spring Japan, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines. The first revenue flight took place on April 11 from Tokyo Narita to Okinawa’s Naha and will operate from the capital to far-reaching domestic points such as Chitose and Kitakyushu.