The first Boeing 737-800BCF in the ASL Airlines aircraft conversion programme has entered service for ASL Airlines France.
F-HIQB, MSN 33641 is the first B737-800 freighter to be operated by a French airline. ASL Airlines France also operates two B737-800 passenger aircraft.
The aircraft is the first of 10 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF) announced by Boeing and ASL Aviation Holdings at the last Paris Air Show.
It was converted by STAECO, the Shandong Taikoo Aircraft Engineering Company in Jinan, China, during a process that also included the overhaul of the engines and an avionics upgrade.
It then positioned to Paris via Ekaterinburg, Russia, and Vilnius, Lithuania, arriving in CDG on 28 November.
It was previously operated by Turkish passenger airline Pegasus.
F-HIQB will be based in Paris-CDG and the B737-800BCF has a capacity of 178 cu m with 11 and a half positions on the upper deck and a range of 3,250 nautical miles. It joins the ASL Airlines fleet of 19 B737 aircraft including -400, -700 and -800 variants.
Conversion work has already started in Jinan on aircraft two and three in the ASL BCF programme, and aircraft four has arrived at the Shandong facility. In addition to the 10 firm orders, ASL also holds another 10 options for BCFs.
