Florida-based lessor Azorra is entering the freighter leasing market. The company has signed a deal with Embraer to convert up to 30 passenger aircraft into freighters, starting with 20 E-190s and purchase rights for another 10. If you move time-sensitive cargo on regional lanes, this matters: the E190F slots into a size gap between turboprop freighters and narrowbody jets, and there are very few of them flying today.
What Happened
Azorra will supply E-190 airframes to Embraer for conversion to full freighter configuration. The firm order covers 20 aircraft, with rights to convert 10 more. Azorra already runs a large E-Jet portfolio on the passenger side, so it has feedstock available as older E-190s come off lease.
Embraer says the E190F carries up to 13.5 tonnes of payload, roughly three times what a large turboprop freighter handles, with a main deck door sized for standard containers and pallets. The conversion programme followed the E190F entering service with a launch operator, and Azorra's order is one of the bigger commitments to the type so far. Deliveries will roll out over several years rather than arriving in one block.
Impact on Freight Rates and Operations
Nothing changes on your rate sheet this quarter. Conversions take months per aircraft, and the first Azorra units will hit the market gradually. The effect shows up later, and it shows up in specific places rather than across the board.
The lanes to watch are regional feeder routes where the only options today are belly space on passenger flights or an old 737 classic freighter that burns too much fuel to justify a half-full load. A 13.5-tonne freighter can serve a market that cannot fill a 23-tonne narrowbody. More lessor-owned freighters also means smaller carriers can add capacity without buying aircraft outright, which usually pushes regional air rates down over a two to three year horizon. E-commerce operators and pharma shippers moving 5 to 15 tonne consignments stand to see the most new options.
What Shippers Should Do
- Check your regional lane options again in 12 months. Routes that only had truck or belly-space today may get a dedicated freighter rotation once these aircraft enter service.
- Know your chargeable weight before you quote. Air freight bills on volumetric weight at 1 CBM = 167 kg, so a light, bulky 20 CBM load prices as 3,333 kg regardless of what the scale says.
- Reprice air versus sea on shipments under 15 tonnes. If regional air lift gets cheaper, the breakeven point on urgent LCL moves shifts, and it is worth rerunning the comparison instead of defaulting to ocean.
- Talk to your forwarder about main-deck pallet dimensions. The E190F takes containers and pallets that a turboprop cannot, so cartons you previously had to break down may travel intact.
Key Takeaway
Azorra's 30-aircraft E-190 conversion deal adds mid-size freighter capacity to regional lanes that have had almost no dedicated air cargo option, and shippers moving 5 to 15 tonne loads will feel it first.
Plan Your Shipment: Use our free CBM Calculator, Chargeable Weight Calculator, and Container Load Calculator for your next shipment.
Source: Air Cargo News