A320 freighter conversion program shut down due to increased demand for A320 passenger aircraft

Posted by John McHaleDRESDEN, Germany, 8 June 2011. The conversion development program for the A320/A321 Passenger to Freighter (P2F) has been shut down due to economic concerns by officials at EADS EFW, Airbus and their Russian partners -- IRKUT and United Aircraft Corp. (UAC). As a result the legal process for terminating the "Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH (AFC)" joint venture has also begun.According to Airbus officials the success of the company's A320neo spiked an increase in A320 passenger aircraft as opposed to freighter models.Recent market developments, including the success of the upcoming Increased passenger traffic also means there are not as many A320 passenger jets available for conversion to freighter variants.The joint venture divided equally with UAC and IRKU getting 25 percent each, EADS EFW owning 32 percent, and Airbus had an 18 percent share.