Norwegian has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8s, fitted with Telair Sliding Carpet Loading System to speed up cargo loading and unloading.
The carpet system consists of a self-contained conveyor belt that runs the length of the aircraft cargo bay, and a single on board loader electrically drives a bulkhead attached to the belt to move cargo to and from the cargo door to load and unload the aircraft.
It says this significantly speeds the loading and unloading of cargo, reducing on-ground turn times to about 20 minutes.
Telair International chief executive officer, Anders Helmner says: “The most advanced model of the world’s most popular aircraft arrived with the most advanced model of the world’s most popular cargo loading system. Norwegian choosing to install The Sliding Carpet Edge System on their entire fleet of MAX aircraft speaks to the quality and benefits of the system.”
Boeing Supplier Management vice president of payloads and systems, Beth Anderson says: “We value our suppliers who develop technologies that drive down cost, increase performance and add value for our customers. The Sliding Carpet System does that in an innovative way.”
The Edge system uses highly engineered carbon fibre technology, provides 40 per cent weight savings over previous Sliding Carpet models.
In addition to the 100 Edge Systems on order, Norwegian holds options for an additional 100 Edge Systems to fit to MAXs, and has ordered 25 Edge Systems for its Next Generation 737-800 fleet.
