newstodate.aero

Oct 16, 2020 (newstodate): The Lithuanian carrier SmartLynx' Maltese subsidiary is entering the cargo ACMI market.
    The carrier has contracted Vallair to deliver two Airbus  A321-200 converted freighter aircraft on a lease contract, becoming the first operator to have A321-200F aircraft converted by both 321 Precision Conversions and Elbe Flugzeugwerke.
    Despite minor differences in direct operational costs, the company decided to go with both supplemental type certificates to grant its customers with flexibility to compare and choose according to requirements.
   According to SmartLynx, the addition of the two freighters is just the first part of the company’s projections to step in deeper into the freighter market.  
   The airline is thus in discussion for further aircraft deliveries, planning to reach 10 Airbus A321 units by 2023 after deliveries of eight more aircraft over the coming three years.
   In June 2020, SmartLynx Malta became the second Baltic carrier, after Avion Express Malta, to obtain the FAA approval, enabling the airline to conduct passenger and cargo operations to, from, and transiting the United States.
   Both Latvia's SmartLynx and Lithuania's Avion Express are members of the ever-growing Avia Solutions Group.