The first Boeing 777-300ER slated for passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion in North America arrived at Ascent Aviation Services in Marana, Arizona, on October 22, 2026. The induction marks the regional launch of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) modification program for the widebody twinjet.

The arrival of the World Star Aviation aircraft initiates operations at a newly expanded site designed to increase global capacity for the Boeing 777-300ERSF program, according to a joint press release issued by the companies.

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Expanding global conversion capacity

Ascent Aviation Services, an independent aircraft aftermarket service provider and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Class IV Part 145 certified repair station, will operate two parallel conversion lines at its Pinal Air Park campus. To accommodate the Boeing 777-300ERSF program, the company invested $70 million to construct two 90,000-square-foot widebody hangars. Ascent broke ground on the facilities on March 29, 2024, effectively tripling the site’s hangar capacity.

“The launch of Boeing 777-300ERSF conversions in North America marks an important milestone for IAI’s global conversion program,” Yaacov Berkovitz, executive vice president and general manager of IAI Aviation Group, stated in the release. “Together with Ascent Aviation Services, we are expanding production capacity and bringing our conversion capabilities closer to customers in the region.”

Ascent Aviation Services chief executive officer David Querio noted that the induction represents the beginning of a long-term partnership with IAI, with multiple Boeing 777-300ERSF conversions planned for the Marana site.

“Our vision is to shape the future of aviation by turning engineering innovation into lasting value for our customers,” IAI president and chief executive officer Guy Bar Lev added. “Passenger-to-freighter conversions are a key part of that vision, extending the productive life of aircraft and helping airlines adapt to changing market needs.”

World Star Aviation’s fleet strategy

The inaugural aircraft belongs to World Star Aviation, a full-service aircraft and engine lessor headquartered in London. The company specializes in mid-to-late life assets and manages a portfolio of approximately 150 aircraft and engines. This includes 60 narrowbody and widebody freighters currently on lease to cargo operators globally.

World Star Aviation partner Yoyo Allalouf cited the strength of the IAI program during a critical period for widebody passenger-to-freighter production as the primary driver for their selection.

“IAI’s dominance in the widebody P2F space, demonstrated by its Boeing 747 and 767 programs, together with our long-standing relationship, underpinned our decision to choose IAI for the 777-300ERSF,” added Garreth Slevin, partner at World Star Aviation.

The rise of the “Big Twin” freighter

The Boeing 777-300ERSF program, marketed as “The Big Twin,” launched on October 22, 2019, as a joint venture between IAI and GECAS, which was subsequently acquired by AerCap. It remains the only certified P2F conversion program for the Boeing 777-300ER.

The converted freighter offers 25 percent more cargo volume than a production Boeing 777-200LRF and 15 percent more volume than a Boeing 747-400BCF. This capacity positions the aircraft as a direct replacement for aging Boeing 747-400 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter fleets.

IAI brings over 50 years of experience to the program, having delivered more than 350 converted cargo aircraft across Boeing 747, 767, 737, and Airbus A330 platforms. The company currently holds a dominant market share in medium-size freighter conversions, particularly with the Boeing 767.

The 777-300ERSF recently transitioned from certification into commercial service. In August 2026, Challenge Group took delivery of its second 777-300ERSF, which marked the fifth redelivery of the type across the industry for the year.

AirPro News analysis

We view the activation of the Marana conversion lines as a critical step in maturing the Boeing 777-300ERSF program. By establishing a North American footprint, IAI mitigates geographic bottlenecks and provides operators with a domestic option for heavy modifications. The $70 million infrastructure investment by Ascent Aviation Services indicates strong long-term confidence in the widebody conversion market, even as the air cargo sector normalizes following pandemic-era peaks. As legacy quad-engine and tri-engine freighters approach mandatory retirement or become economically unviable, the availability of parallel conversion lines in the United States ensures IAI can capture a significant share of the impending widebody replacement cycle.

Cirrus Aircraft has commenced construction on an $8 million, 15,000-square-foot Engine Run-Up Center in Duluth, Minnesota, moving critical engine testing and fuel calibration processes into a year-round, climate-controlled environment.

The new facility, detailed in a company press release on October 23, 2026, is designed to support the certification process for the SR Series, Vision Jet, and TRAC10 aircraft while reducing noise at the surrounding airport.

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Centralizing certification operations

The Engine Run-Up Center will consolidate several final-phase manufacturing steps into a single enclosed building. The facility will house two calibration stalls dedicated to engine setup and testing, utilizing an 8-foot exhaust collector to ventilate the spaces. A separate climate-controlled control room will allow technicians to conduct data analysis during the testing phase.

In addition to the testing stalls, the building will include two stalls specifically engineered for fueling and defueling aircraft. These areas incorporate specialized fire protection systems and are designed to meet requirements for handling flammable fluids.

Cirrus Chief Executive Officer Zean Nielsen stated that engine run-ups and fuel system calibration are essential processes across aircraft manufacturing. He noted that the modern facility will allow the company to streamline these critical operations, improve efficiency, and provide team members with a dedicated environment to perform the work.

Expanding the Duluth manufacturing footprint

The new testing center adds to an existing corporate footprint that exceeds 1.3 million square feet. The majority of this infrastructure is located in Duluth, which serves as the primary production hub for the manufacturer.

Founded in 1984 and now publicly traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Cirrus has manufactured more than 12,000 SR Series piston aircraft and Vision Jets to date. The groundbreaking follows closely on a major program milestone for the company. On October 21, 2026, Cirrus celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification for the Vision Jet, the first single-engine personal jet to reach the market.

Patrick Waddick, President of Innovation & Operations at Cirrus, highlighted the scale of the company’s historical output in Duluth. He noted that the new facility expands a footprint where the company has produced its entire fleet of over 12,000 aircraft, adding that the manufacturer has spent decades challenging conventions through innovations that transform personal aviation.

Project timeline and operational impact

Construction on the Engine Run-Up Center is underway, with the facility expected to open and become fully operational by the summer of 2027. By moving engine testing indoors, the company anticipates a reduction in noise levels for the surrounding airport environment, a common challenge for manufacturers conducting high-power engine runs on open ramps.

The $8 million investment reflects broader efforts by the airframer to scale production capabilities in response to market requirements. Nielsen indicated that as the company continues to grow, investments in manufacturing infrastructure position Cirrus to meet customer demand while maintaining high standards of quality and safety.

Asco Industries, a subsidiary of Montana Aerospace AG, has delivered a full-scale prototype of a hybrid metallic-composite Rear Secondary Structure (RSS) fairing to Airbus, advancing component development for the manufacturer’s Next Generation Single Aisle (NGSA) programme.

In a press release issued on October 22, 2026, Montana Aerospace confirmed the presentation of the prototype to Airbus stakeholders in Toulouse, France. The new RSS concept is engineered to reduce structural weight, decrease final assembly installation time, and support the high-rate production volumes required for future single-aisle aircraft.

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Engineering the hybrid RSS fairing

The RSS fairing project was initiated in 2022 under a Collaborative Research Agreement between Airbus Airframe Propulsion and Asco. The engineering focus centered on optimizing weight, cost, and manufacturability for the next generation of commercial aircraft. The resulting design is a hybrid multi-material structure that integrates Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) skins manufactured via Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) with aluminium and titanium structural interfaces, alongside thermoplastic components.

This material combination is designed to leverage the high strength-to-weight ratio of composites while maintaining the durability and precision of metallic joints where the fairing connects to the engine pylon. The use of RTM for the composite skins allows for high repeatability and tight tolerances, which are essential for high-rate manufacturing environments.

Asco manufactured two full-scale prototype assemblies in 2026 to validate the design. The component utilizes a plug-and-play assembly concept intended to streamline the installation process during final aircraft assembly, addressing a critical bottleneck in current production lines.

“Reaching this high level of maturity on this programme is the result of years of engineering development by our teams in close collaboration with Airbus,” said Jérôme Morhet, Chief Executive Officer of Asco. “It shows that Asco can take a structure from concept to a validated, production-ready design in a genuinely new material combination, and do so to the standards Airbus expects, on a component outside our historical wing scope.”

Supporting the Airbus NGSA timeline

The successful prototype delivery marks a milestone for Montana Aerospace as it seeks to expand its aerostructures portfolio ahead of the next major commercial aircraft cycle. Following the presentation in Toulouse, Airbus plans to evaluate the RSS concept at the complete pylon level. This phase will include installation trials of the Asco demonstrator on a representative next-generation aircraft pylon structure to verify the plug-and-play assembly claims under operational manufacturing conditions.

Paul Andreucci, Chief Commercial Officer of Montana Aerospace, stated that the programme demonstrates the strategic value of research and innovation in expanding the group’s technological capabilities.

“By combining expertise in materials, engineering and manufacturing across Montana Aerospace, we can develop solutions that complement our existing Aerostructures portfolio and create new opportunities for both existing and next-generation platforms,” Andreucci said.

The push for next-generation efficiency

Airbus is actively developing technologies for its NGSA aircraft, which will eventually succeed the highly successful A320neo family. The European manufacturer has publicly targeted a 20 percent to 30 percent reduction in fuel burn for the new platform compared to current-generation aircraft. Achieving this efficiency requires new propulsion systems, advanced wing designs, hybridisation, and lighter materials.

The aviation sector’s net-zero emissions roadmap for 2050 relies heavily on the next generation of single-aisle aircraft, as this segment represents the largest portion of the global commercial fleet. Beyond fuel efficiency, the NGSA development requires suppliers to design components capable of supporting unprecedented production rates. Airbus anticipates these rates will be necessary to meet future global demand for single-aisle aircraft.

Montana Aerospace, headquartered in Reinach, Switzerland, operates 16 locations across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific, employing approximately 6,300 people. Its subsidiary Asco, based in Zaventem, Belgium, employs around 1,200 people and specializes in high-lift mechanisms, complex structural assemblies, and mission-critical components.

AirPro News analysis

We view the Asco RSS fairing milestone as a clear indicator of how Tier 1 suppliers are positioning themselves for the NGSA supply chain years before formal programme launch. The emphasis on a plug-and-play assembly concept highlights a critical shift in aerostructures design. For the A320neo successor to be economically viable, Airbus must achieve production rates that exceed current industrial limits. By proving that complex, multi-material secondary structures can be installed rapidly on the final assembly line, suppliers like Montana Aerospace are addressing the manufacturer’s most pressing industrial bottleneck: assembly time. The transition from traditional metallic structures to hybrid composite-metallic components for secondary structures reflects the industry’s dual mandate of extreme weight reduction and high-rate manufacturability.