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Nov 10, 2021 (newstodate): The Lithuanian charter and ACMI carrier SmartLynx is to achieve permanent EASA Supplementary Type Certificate for cargo transportation inside Airbus A330 cabins.
   Till now, the carrier has been able to obtain only temporal approval for the modification of five Airbus A330 with Zero LOPA for cabin cargo operations.
   Supporting the carrier in the STC process is the Lithuanian aircraft design and manufacturing company J&C Aero, based at Siauliai Airport, that has developed the pertinent technical and legal documentation required by EASA to conduct cabin modification on the wide-body aircraft operated by SmartLynx Airlines.
   The STC provides SmartLynx Airlines with the ability to operate the Airbus A330 aircraft ready for both passenger and cargo flights without conducting the full P2F conversion, allowing the airline to seize new opportunities on the cargo market while the travel segment is still recovering.
   With the support of J&C Aero engineers, the airline anticipates completing the certification for a permanent EASA STC by the end of autumn 2021.
   Lithuania's second-largest airline, SmartLynx is currently operating a fleet of five Airbus A330 aircraft, modified to Zero LOPA.
   The aircraft have been delivered under a contract with the Chinese aircraft lease company CDB Aviation and placed with the SmartLynx subsidiary SmartLynx Airlines Malta, with passenger seats removed for all-cargo flights offering the cargo capacity of 260 m3 and a maximum cargo weight of 55 tonnes.
   But development does not stop there: the carrier is already preparing to take delivery of another three Airbus A330 aircraft, also modified to Zero LOPA.