Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has delivered the first CRJ200 Special Freighter (CRJ200SF) aircraft to launch operator Gulf & Caribbean Cargo, Inc., doing business as IFL Group (IFL Group) of Waterford, Michigan. The aircraft was delivered on 21st December.

The CRJ100SF/CRJ200SF jets are converted from the passenger version of the aircraft by Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) of Miami who is a Bombardier-licensed Third Party Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) provider.

The freighter design includes a large 94in. x 77in. (238.7cm x 195.6cm) cargo door, holds up to 14,840lbs. (6,731kg) of payload on the main deck and offers eight 61.5” X 88” pallet positions for containerization.

AEI says it has received commitments for 45 aircraft conversions from a variety of operators. The company expects to convert over 100 aircraft over the life of the programme, according to Robert Convey, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Aeronautical Engineers. Convey belives that most CRJ100SF, CRJ200SF aircraft will be operated on longer-range regional services with thin demand that require the speed of a jet but can’t support larger narrow-body freighters.

The IFL Group has operations extending throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and into Latin America.