Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation (flyCAA), a Kinshasa-based carrier in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has taken delivery of Africa’s first Airbus A321P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter) aircraft.
The aircraft, a 1998-built Airbus A321 registered as 9S-PEB (MSN 808), was previously operated by Air Moldova before undergoing conversion by PEMCO Conversions in Tampa, Florida. PEMCO is a subsidiary of the U.S.-based Aircraft Transport Services Group (ATSG), while the aircraft itself is owned by another ATSG subsidiary, Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM).
Following conversion, the freighter was ferried to Kinshasa via Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI), and Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (OXB), arriving at N’djili International Airport (FIH) on September 28, 2025.
With this delivery, flyCAA joins a select group of global operators of the A321P2F. According to CH-Aviation data, few airlines currently operate the type — SmartLynx Airlines Malta, GlobalX, Raya Airways, Sichuan Airlines, Levu Air Cargo, Fly Mara Airlines, a Kenyan private carrier that began operating a leased A321P2F from Egypt’s Sky Vision Airlines in August 2025 for an initial six-month period and now flyCAA — bringing the total number of A321P2Fs in service to 13 since the program’s launch in 2021.
The addition of the A321P2F enhances flyCAA’s growing cargo capabilities. The airline already operates a Boeing 767-200F (MSN 23141), which joined the fleet in 2024, and has been actively strengthening its position in the domestic cargo market. The new freighter is expected to boost competitiveness against Serve Air Cargo, its primary rival, which operates a fleet of six Boeing 737-300Fs and three 737-800Fs.
Although traditionally a passenger carrier, flyCAA has been steadily diversifying its operations. Its current passenger fleet includes three Airbus A320ceo, one A330-200, one inactive A330-300, and one ATR72, also inactive. The airline operates around 14 domestic routes across the DRC and has plans to launch international services to Johannesburg, marking a new phase in its network expansion.
Founded in 1991, flyCAA merged with flyCongo in 2012, combining their resources to form one of the DRC’s leading passenger and cargo airlines. The carrier is owned by the Blattner family, whose business interests extend into construction, agroforestry, and finance.
