With the explosion in e-commerce, there's a surge in global demand for freight hauling be it by land, water or air.
KF Aerospace in Kelowna is getting its piece of the action by way of a huge, new, 10-year contract with leading American aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
Boeing is having some of its former passenger 737-800 jets converted to cargo haulers to meet the need of freight being flown around the world.
KF Aerospace (formerly Kelowna Flightcraft) has done work for Boeing for 30 years, including passenger-to-cargo conversions.
But what's different about this new contract is that KF Aerospace will set up two dedicated conversion lines at its hangars at Kelowna airport specifically for Boeing 737-800 passenger-to-cargo work.
KF Aerospace hasn't disclosed what the decade-long contract is worth or how many planes will be retrofitted, but it's expected to be significant on both fronts.
When a jet that's been used as a passenger plane shows up for conversion, it is stripped of all seats, overhead bins, washrooms and galleys to create a wide-open interior space suitable for packing cargo for flight.
The plane is also outfitted with a cargo door and repainted to the colours of the freight hauling company.
This process can take weeks or months and keeps dozens of aircraft maintenance engineers, technicians, hangar and business support workers busy.
In fact, KF Aerospace expects to add 70 more staff to its roster of 750 in Kelowna to fulfil the ongoing Boeing contract.
KF Aerospace's need for aircraft maintenance engineers is so great that Okanagan College has set up a specific trades course and KF hires most of the graduates.
KF Aerospace is Kelowna's largest private-sector employer and is already in expansion mode because people and freight are flying as COVID restrictions ease.
The two dedicated conversion lines for Boeing will be fully operational in 2023.
In the meantime, KF Aerospace has six hangars at Kelowna airport where it does aircraft modifications, including cargo doors and freight conversions, and maintenance for an array of customers ranging from WestJet, Swoop and Icelandair airlines, Lynden Air Cargo of Alaska and Aeronautics Engineers to Canadian Department of National Defense, Hawaii's Aloha Air Cargo and and Northern Air Cargo of Alaska.
Boeing's conversion expansion also sees conversion lines going into the manufacturer's London Gatwick maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in England, a facility in Costa Rica and another in Guangzhou, China so it has capacity in all parts of the world from North and Central America to Europe and Asia.
Boeing forecasts 1,720 passenger jets will need to be converted to cargo planes over the next 20 years.
