Vallair has handed down its last B737-400 freighter to Malaysian charter operator M Jets and will now focus on the A321, B737NG and ATR variants on freighter conversions.

The aircraft, registered MSN 26605, was converted in 2018 by PEMCO Conversions and will be the first freighter in M Jets’ fleet, which will be operated under the brand Kargo Xpress. Vallair confirmed it will continue to offer legacy support for the aircraft variant.

“The B737-400 is long established as a successful freighter,” said Gregoire Lebigot, CEO of Vallair.

“Offering eleven container positions, the Classic series, to which the -400 belongs, is well suited for a start-up operator because of its reliability and economical operating costs.

“In addition to this as the aircraft is well-known throughout the world, finding suitable maintenance facilities, crew, engineers, as well as spare parts, will not be an issue,” he added.

M Jets, a subsidiary of investment holding company MMAG Holdings Berhad, will be the fifth air cargo operator in Malaysia. The company said it aims to fulfil Malaysia’s supply chain demands, as well as those of neighbouring countries which have seen a surge in air cargo spurred by e-freight and e-commerce during the  the pandemic.

Vallair announced in December that will start A321 freighter conversions in China after seeing potential demand for the freighter in the country’s active e-commerce sector. It signed an MOU with US airline operator GlobalX for 10 conversions and has leased two to SmartLynx Malta.

The company said that the A321 freighter variant’s lower cargo hold allows space for shipping of containerised cargo in addition to its normal cargo positions. Compared to the 737-400 freighter’s 11 container positions, the converted A321 offer containerized loading in both the main (up to 14 full container positions) and lower deck (up to 10 container positions).