Saab 2000 variant
Saab 2000 Saab 2000F
Freighter conversion of the Saab 2000, flight-tested by Estonia's NyxAir on 6 March 2023 at Örebro. It is the most recent attempt to give a second career to a small fleet with plenty of airframe life left.
- March 6, 2023
- First flight
History
A late freighter
The Saab 2000 was born as a fast passenger aircraft and lived its whole commercial career as one, but the arithmetic that pushed the 340 towards cargo work eventually caught up with it: few airframes, very little wear and a passenger market that no longer wants them. The freighter conversion, designated Saab 2000(F), was driven by Estonia's NyxAir on one of its own aircraft, registered ES-NSJ.
The 2023 test flight
On 6 March 2023 ES-NSJ made a 59-minute post-maintenance test flight at Örebro under NyxAir's operator certificate. It was the first time a 2000 flew in cargo configuration and the milestone that gave the variant real existence, until then only on paper.
A programme still open
In February 2024 it was reported that the 2000(F)'s bleed system had to be redesigned, a sign that the conversion was still in development rather than a finished product. The sources consulted publish no figures specific to the variant — payload, hold volume, number of conversions — so only the airframe dimensions, which the conversion does not change, are recorded here.