With the cargo conversion of G-RVGB (msn192) finished in late January for East Midlands, UK, based RVL Aviation, and a respectable back-log of conversions in line, TAM have high hopes for 2021 to be a prosperous year. Air freight is booming, despite the strains that the global pandemic puts on the aviation community, meaning the need for feeder-sized cargo aircraft is ever increasing and with the Saab 340 the perfect aircraft size- and cost-wise, TAM is well suited to meet this demand.

TAM: Recurring Saab 340 Cargo Conversions paves the way for a strong 2021

Örebro, Sweden: Having delivered the first Saab 340 Cargo Conversion for 2021 in January and another already in the workshops, Täby Air Maintenance, TAM, expect 2021 to be at least as good as 2020. With a world-wide reputation as a premier service provider for regional airliners, the current portfolio of services offered – maintenance and overhaul of Saab 340 and Saab 2000, complemented in 2020 with the ATR72 family, extensive rebuilds, modifications and cargo conversions of Saab 340s – has proved to be the right concept.

– With an attractive mix of services, we can summarize the year 2020 as a rather good year for TAM, business-wise. The decision to include the ATR72 in our service portfolio, with the first two aircraft fully refurbished aircraft delivered to KrasAvia last November, was a right move with more ATRs coming this spring, says Pär Gulle, TAM Managing Director.

– A year ago, we had obviously no idea what would lie ahead of us, with the Covid-19 pandemic more or less paralyzing all air travelling. This has obviously put a strain on us, as it has on the whole aviation community, but in close co-operation with our customers, we have managed fairly well, Pär Gulle states.

– However, apart from the pandemic, we see there is currently a strong business disturbance due to Brexit. The exit agreement between the UK and the EU is in place, but a number of more detailed issues connected to Brexit remain to be solved, limiting our ability to serve our UK customers the way we would prefer, Pär Gulle remarks.

– Still, we see with confidence on the year that lies ahead, as we have a world-wide customer base for our Saab 340 and Saab 2000 maintenance, overhaul and rebuild programmes, including our industry-leading Cargo Conversion programme for the Saab 340. With one aircraft already delivered in January to a North American customer, and a second in the modification line for a European cargo airline, we expect the number of conversions this year to reach an all time high, Pär Gulle summarizes the forecast for 2021.