USC is strategizing to cater to long-haul routes with A340-300s and -600s starting this summer.
Initially, USC intends to perform wet-lease passenger services, with the goal of providing converted freighter services in the long run.
USC has chosen the Avensis full-size main-deck cargo door, making it the inaugural customer for the conversion.
Avensis asserts that the modification – branded as the Navis PTF – includes an "industry-first plug-type" door, a Class E cargo compartment, cargo-loading system, and a rigid 9g barrier.
The modification also includes a distinct crew cabin.
However, Avensis will initially offer an interim solution, modifying the aircraft into a Class E freighter with its Medius PTF product.
This adjustment will enable USC to kickstart its revenue cargo services while the Navis conversion components are being produced.
Avensis proclaims that Navis sets a new standard for cargo-door conversion, providing reduced conversion downtime and enabling more flexible, swift, and cost-effective operational performance.
CEO Cristian Sutter asserts that the A340 offers a "competitive" freighter platform for the express cargo market, combining payload, volume, and performance on long-haul routes to areas like the Asia-Pacific region.
He emphasizes that their conversion is targeted at leasing companies and established cargo airlines looking for a durable, innovative, and cost-effective passenger-to-freighter solution. The firm maintains that the electrically operated main-deck door is lightweight, and the locking mechanism makes the modification "safer."
Airbus has delivered 377 A340s, inclusive of 131 A340-500/600s, and its most recent backlog data shows that 200 of these aircraft remain in operation.
