German air freight industry grows despite personnel shortage
Feb 12, 2026 at 1:35 PM
The Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) have expanded their operations in China through a new contract with Hengqin Winglet Aircraft Technology. This contract involves the conversion of Airbus A330 passenger aircraft into freighters (P2F) and marks Hengqin’s entry into the freighter market. The conversion work is expected to begin in mid-2026 at one of the EFW locations in China. Technical planning and certification will be supported by the headquarters in Dresden.
Expansion of Customer Base in China
James Huang (2nd from left), CEO of Hengqin Winglet, commented on the collaboration and emphasized his company’s expertise in aircraft leasing and trading as well as in the technical management of aircraft. „We are excited to work with EFW on converting our A330 into a state-of-the-art freighter,“ said Huang.
With this new contract, EFW is expanding its customer base in China, which is considered a significant market for global demand for freighter aircraft. The ongoing expansion in the field of express logistics and international e-commerce is leading to a steady fleet expansion among aircraft operators and leasing companies.
Jordi Boto (far left), CEO of EFW, highlighted the importance of the new customer: „We are pleased to welcome a new customer to the EFW family of Airbus freighter conversions. The A330P2F is the future in the medium-sized freighter segment, and we look forward to working with Hengqin Winglet to expand their A330P2F fleet.“
