Aircraft conversion specialist Avensis Aviation has launched a new freighter aircraft fitted with elevators to the main deck, allowing palletised and containerised freight to be loaded without the need for a large cargo door.
The Medius Elev features forward and aft lifts on the main deck floor, which will also significantly reduce loading and unloading times, says the company.
Avensis chief executive Cristian Sutter, said: “Medius Elev allows for full freighter operations with no limitations. By adding a main deck cargo loading system and two main deck lifts, pallets and containers can be loaded in the main deck whilst still retaining the flexibility to reconfigure the aircraft back to a passenger configuration if needed.”
The company is targeting aircraft operators and lessors that need to transport pallets and containers without committing to a main deck cargo door conversion.
The lift platform can take a 96”x 125” (2.4m x 3.2m) container or pallet base, and the system can safely load or unload containers or pallets weighing up to 2.2 tonnes. Main deck cargo capacity can range from a maximum capacity of 44 tonnes / 285sq m payload and volume for an A330-300 and up to 54 tonnes of payload and 360sq m of volume respectively for an A340-600. This offers operators the flexibility to distribute different types of cargo between main deck and cargo hold, as combining the maximum payloads of both will exceed the aircraft’s maximum structural and take-off weights.
Sutter adds: “We designed the lifts with maintainability in mind to maximise component efficiency and reliability. Low maintenance requirements and extended service intervals are important to our customers to ensure that down time is mitigated. Our built-in redundancy systems minimise any likelihood of in-service failure that could prevent the loading and unloading of cargo. Each lift comprises two independent operating systems as well as a backup manual override for the lift and corresponding floor locks.”
