Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) affiliate EFW Elbe Flugzeugwerke is to embark on its first P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter) conversion of an A330-300 with former Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International) machine 9M-MKI (cn 116) currently in Dresden awaiting reconfiguration.

Once conversion is complete, the A330-300P2F will carry up to 60 metric tonnes over a distance of 2,200 nautical miles, or 61 tonnes to a range of 3,600 nautical miles for the higher MTOW (maximum takeoff weight) variants.

"The longer-fuselage A330-300P2F is particularly suited for integrators and express carriers, resulting from its high volumetric payload capability with lower-density cargo, while the A330-200P2F is optimised for higher-density freight and longer-range performance," the European manufacturer said in a statement.

Given the type's natural downward inclination, Airbus says the freighters will incorporate a powered loading system to allow maindeck pallets to be moved from the front of the aircraft to the back.

As announced last year, EgyptAir (MS, Cairo International) subsidiary, EgyptAir Cargo (MSX, Cairo International), has been designated the launch customer for the A330-200 variant of the P2F programme.