Alfor Aviation has today announced the launch of its Internal Loading System (ILS), a new aircraft conversion technology that the company says will cut the costs of air cargo aviation by almost 40 per cent and drive the most significant change in the industry since the post-World War Two emergence of the modern freighter industry.
Founded in Bournemouth in 2023 by Turkish industrial group Alarko and British aviation specialists Foravia, Alfor Aviation was established to address the rapidly changing demands of global logistics.
The rise of e-commerce, increasingly sophisticated routing systems and growing customer expectations for faster delivery are reshaping how goods move around the world. Alfor believes the air cargo industry now requires a new generation of solutions designed for speed, flexibility and economic efficiency.
For more than 70 years, passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversions have followed a largely unchanged model: cutting a large cargo door into the side of an aircraft and reinforcing the surrounding structure to create a traditional freighter. While effective, this approach can be costly, time-consuming and dependent on lengthy engineering programmes.
Alfor’s answer is the Internal Loading System, or ILS. Rather than requiring a large main-deck cargo door, ILS uses a certified internal lifting and loading system that enables freight to be loaded through an aircraft’s existing lower cargo doors and transferred directly onto the main deck.
By simplifying the conversion process, Alfor says airlines and operators can gain access to additional cargo capacity faster, at significantly lower cost and with greater operational flexibility.
Alfor estimates that an ILS conversion can be completed at roughly half the cost of a conventional main-deck cargo door conversion, while significantly reducing conversion lead times. Once tooling and conversion kits are prepared, the company expects to begin accepting aircraft for conversion within nine months of a firm order. Aircraft can then enter conversion on a rolling monthly basis, with the first deliveries beginning approximately three months after induction.
Omer Mafa, Director of Alfor Aviation, said: “For more than 70 years, the air cargo industry has been solving today’s problems with yesterday’s technology. We believe that’s about to change. Our Internal Loading System is the biggest rethink of aircraft cargo conversion since the modern freighter was invented after the Second World War. Instead of spending millions cutting huge cargo doors into aircraft, we’ve found a smarter way that could reduce freight costs by almost 40 per cent while getting aircraft into service much faster.
“This isn’t just about airlines saving money. It has the potential to make global supply chains faster, strengthen the UK’s position as a centre for aerospace innovation and ultimately reduce the cost of moving goods around the world. As e-commerce continues to reshape consumer expectations, the industry needs a solution built for speed, flexibility and economics – not one designed for the logistics of the 1950s.”
Image: Swissport
