JERUSALEM, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli state-run company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will convert Boeing passenger aircraft to freighters for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flagship carrier Emirates, a statement of the company said on Monday.
The agreement between the two sides includes the conversion of four B777-300ER passenger aircraft to cargo configuration, with an option to convert more aircraft.
The aircraft will be converted at the new site established in Etihad Engineering's maintenance center near Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The Dubai-based Emirates is the world's largest operator of B777-300ER aircraft, and Emirates SkyCargo is a leading player in the global air cargo industry.
"The agreement is a testament to the strong ties between IAI and the UAE," the statement said.
IAI is proud to forge the partnership and create solutions to the global demand for cargo aircraft, said IAI CEO and president Boaz Levy.
"The new investment reflects our confidence in our future growth and status as one of the largest airline cargo carriers in the world," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO of the Emirates Group.
The amount of the deal was not disclosed, but was estimated by the Israeli media at around 100 million U.S. dollars.
Israel and the UAE signed a historic normalization deal at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020. Enditem
