IAI Completes First Flight of Converted Airbus A330-200 Cargo Plane

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has successfully completed its first flight of an Airbus A330-200 converted into a cargo aircraft. This milestone marks IAI's expansion into Airbus aircraft conversions, following years of converting only Boeing planes.

The flight took off from and landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on September 5, 2026, as part of the certification process for the converted plane. The Airbus A330-300BDSF was designed for cargo operations on regional routes and medium-range flights, offering a competitive solution with capacity for up to 30 cargo containers and a payload of up to 61 tons.

IAI's conversion program extends its Boeing 777-300ERSF conversion program, which has already received dozens of orders. Both aircraft types are being given a second life after serving as passenger planes for around 20 years and no longer meeting airline standards due to fuel-consumption requirements.

According to IAI CEO Guy Bar Lev, the new Airbus program strengthens the company's abilities in advanced aviation technologies and industrial capabilities. The converted aircraft costs tens of millions of dollars, compared with more than $250 million for a new cargo aircraft of the same model directly from the production line.