Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) has delivered the sixth B737-400SF freighter to DHL. Southern Air will operate the aircraft for DHL Express in the Americas. The aircraft is a high gross weight B737-400SF (MSN 26334) built in 1996 and was converted at Commercial Jet’s Dothan, Alabama facility, which is one of five authorised AEI Conversion Centres worldwide. The aircraft was sourced and financing provided thru Strategic Air Finance LLC. DHL’s seventh B737-400SF conversion is currently undergoing modification at Commercial Jet. This delivery represents AEI’s first of the anticipated 33+ freighters to be delivered in 2015.

Planned routes for the B737-400SF’s include flights from Caracas (CCS) Venezuela, to Barbados (BGI) and Trinidad and Tobago (POS) in the Caribbean, as well as from Caracas to Bogota (BOG) Colombia, and Panama (PTY). In the US, the B737-400SF’s will add flights from the DHL Express Cincinnati Hub in (CVG) to several cities along the Northeast and Midwest, including Philadelphia (PHL), Hartford (BDL) and St. Louis (STL).

The AEI B737-400SF is the only passenger to freighter conversion product that offers operators ten full height 88” x 125” container positions. This capability is achievable due to AEI’s Main Deck Cargo Door location which is approximately 40” further back than the competition. The additional container position increases AEI’s volumetric carrying capability by 10 per cent which places the freighter in a class by itself.