Eastern European MRO collective Avia Prime Group has begun work on the first Boeing 767-300 freighter conversion to be undertaken in Europe.
Avia Prime Holding consists of three MROs—Slovenia’s Adria Tehnika, Serbia’s JAT Tehnika and Poland’s Linetech. The conversion is being undertaken in cooperation with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Work on the conversion formally got under way Jan. 25 at JAT Tehnika’s Hangar Two in Belgrade, when the section of forward fuselage that will eventually house the new cargo door was cut out and lifted away. JAT Tehnika’s facility has hangar space of more than 30,000 m² (323,000 ft.²), with nine production lines for various MRO activities.
The event marked Avia Prime Group’s first venture into the widebody conversion market, the group’s CEO Piotr Kaczor said. The group’s facilities in Belgrade have expanded to allow the new work to take place.
The conversion work on the 767-300 was a portent of things to come, IAI aviation division EVP and GM Shmuel Kuzi said, with the next goal being to have even larger widebodies converted at the site.