Airbus Industrie has confirmed its long-awaited deal with United Parcel Service (UPS) for up to 60 new A300-600 freighters. The estimated value of the contract is around $5 billion.
The order, revealed exclusively in Flight International earlier this year, follows a bid battle involving new and used aircraft from Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin to meet its widebody regional freighter requirement.
Other aircraft types examined included the 767, DC-10/MD-10 and L-1011 TriStar. The MD-11 is also believed to have been considered for the order, although UPS officials deny this.
UPS Airlines has placed firm orders for 30 A300-600Fs, with options on a further 30. Deliveries of the aircraft will begin in mid-2000 and UPS says its commitment is to acquire 30 A300-600Fs "over the next 10 years". No engine selection has been made.
UPS says the deal with Airbus is to meet growth requirements and the aircraft will not replace any freighters already in its fleet. UPS vice-president airline operations Bob Lekites acknowledges that the carrier would consider the acquisition of converted, ex-passenger aircraft "if they become available".
British Aerospace and Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus are developing cargo conversions for the A300-600, having already been approved for the conversion of A300-B4 aircraft.
Industry sources suggest the carrier could have a requirement for up to 40 converted aircraft, which would enable the airline to begin replacing McDonnell Douglas DC-8s operated on US domestic freight services.
Airbus A310s, which offer cockpit commonality with the A300, could be acquired at a later date to replace 727s.
With the widebody freighter programme tied up, UPS is believed to be in the early stages of formulating an evaluation programme for a new long-haul freighter.
The deal provides a vital boost for the A300/A310 backlog, which has been slowly diminishing in recent years. Production at Toulouse is running at less than one a month, with most of the 16 A300s on backlog previously being freighters for US express packages carrier FedEx.
Source: Flight International
