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| September 28, 2004 No.1021 | ||
| MHI Joins Boeing 747-400 Special Freighter Program Responsible for Production of Cargo Doors and Door Surrounds |
| Tokyo, September 28, 2004 -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has signed an agreement to join Boeing's 747-400 Special Freighter program for converting 747-400 passenger aircraft to freight carriers. MHI will take charge of production of main deck cargo doors and door surround panels. |
To date Boeing has received orders from three airlines - Cathay Pacific Airways, Nippon Cargo Airlines and Korean Air - to convert a total of 15 747-400 passenger jets to Special Freighter configuration (747-400SF). Besides MHI, two Chinese enterprises are also participating in the program: Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company Limited (XAC) and Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Co., Ltd. (TAECO), respectively based in Xian and Xiamen. Cargo doors and the door surround panels will be manufactured at MHI's Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works. These various components will be delivered from early 2006 to TAECO, where the modification work will be carried out. MHI will cooperate with TAECO in parts procurement and management. Through its cooperation, MHI will expand its relationship with TAECO. The 747-400 Special Freighter will have an estimated structural payload capacity of 250,200 pounds (113,490 kilograms) at the design range of 4,100 nautical miles (7,600 kilometers). Maximum takeoff weight will be 870,000 pounds (394,625 kilograms). Cargo traffic is expected to increase an annual 6% going forward. In 2000 Boeing and MHI strengthened their long-term cooperative relationship by signing a memorandum under which the two partners pledged to build on their mutual trust in order to develop and enhance their respective operations in aerospace and diverse other business areas. MHI's participation in the Special Freighter program is one of the fruits to emerge from that agreement, following a similar agreement on main deck cargo doors for 757-200 Special Freighter conversion signed in 2001. These extended initiatives in cooperation have further solidified the relationship between Boeing and MHI, and in the years ahead, as leading companies in the global aerospace industry, the two partners will continue to work together to provide the products, services and solutions the world requires. # # #
About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 2,593 billion yen (US$21.6 billion) in fiscal 2002 (year ended March 31, 2003). MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, steel plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems. For more information, please visit the MHI website (http://www.mhi.co.jp). PRESS CONTACT: Hideo Ikuno: h.ikuno@daiya-pr.co.jp Tel: +813-6716-5277, Fax: +813-6716-5929 Daiya PR (in charge of public relations for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.) |
