The Saab 2000, a well-known regional turboprop in niche markets, is opening a second life in air freight. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has just certified the cargo plane conversion program developed by the company TAM, allowing its commercial operation by interested companies.
This homologation transforms the vehicle into a small, fast cargo carrier, suitable for regional routes, express markets, and medium-density e-commerce flows. The passenger cabin is replaced by a continuous cargo hold, the floors are reinforced and a large side cargo door is added, offering a significantly increased useful capacity. For operators, the interest lies in a competitive cost per flight hour, a speed superior to that of many existing turboprops, and immediate availability of airframes from passenger traffic.
Integrators, regional companies, and specialists in “time-critical” see this new P2F (passenger-to-freighter) as a solution to serve secondary airports with tight turnaround times. The article highlights that this certification is part of the underlying trend of converting regional aircraft into mini-freighters, in order to support the growth of e-commerce flows outside of major hubs and to densify feeder networks around major cargo platforms.
