Seldom, if ever, have air cargo operators had such a broad choice of aircraft for their growing types of missions in this $46-billion-a-year international business. The global cargo fleet is forecast to increase by nearly 3,000 new and converted freighters through 2022, according to Boeing and Airbus. Half of the added freighters are expected to be wide-body aircraft. The fleet will show an unprecedented mix of small and jumbo jets, with a high percentage of passenger-to-freighter conversions. "You've got different types of aircraft for cargo conversions, ranging from tur-boprops to A300-600s and Boeing 747s," added Hal Chrisman, senior vice president-corporate development for conversion specialist Pemco Aviation Group of Birmingham, Ala. George Hamlin, a director with cargo consultant Merge-Global of Arlington, Va., observed, "There are many opportunities. It's never been quite like this before."
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