• Costa Rican MRO COOPESA will open two 737-800BCF conversion lines in 2022
  • 737-800BCF Now Has Over 180 Buy Orders and Commitments

Seattle. 10 May 2021. As the express delivery and e-commerce markets continue to drive strong demand for freighter production and conversion, Boeing today announced a new partnership with a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO, based in Costa Rica, to increase the conversion capacity to the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter.

Boeing will open two 737-800BCF conversion lines with Cooperativa Autogestaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (COOPESA) in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The first of the new conversion lines is expected to open in early 2022, with the second anticipated later in the same year. The manufacturer predicts 1,500 freighter conversions will be needed over the next 20 years to meet the growing demand for these types of aircraft. Of those, 1,080 will be standard body conversions, with nearly 30% of that demand coming from North and Latin America.

“COOPESA has demonstrated technical expertise and a commitment to quality and execution – necessary points to assist us in meeting the growing demand from customers for the 737-800BCF, including in the Americas,” said Jens Steinhagen, director. of Boeing freighter conversions. “We are pleased to have COOPESA in our team of MRO partners. Together we will deliver the market leading converted freighter to customers around the world.”

“We are honored that Boeing has chosen COOPESA as a strategic partner to provide conversion services to the 737-800BCF,” said Kenneth Waugh, CEO of COOPESA. “We look forward to helping Boeing meet market demand with our technical excellence and skilled workforce – characteristics of COOPESA in its 58 years of operation.”

Right now, Boeing converts 737-800 airliners to freighters at three locations: Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services (BSAS), in Shanghai, China; Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company Limited (GAMECO) in Guangzhou, China, and Taikoo (Shandong) Aircraft Engineering Co., Ltd. (STAECO) in Jinan, China.

To date, the 737-800BCF has received more than 180 purchase orders and commitments from 15 customers on four continents. In March, Boeing redelivered the 50 or 737-800BCF since it entered service in 2018.