Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE
Airbus expects to tie up a "substantial" order for the freighter version of the A330-200 by June from an unnamed leasing company, launching the type into a market where it sees a requirement for up to 300 aircraft over the next 15 years. The European consortium, meanwhile, has confirmed that it also has a cargo version of the A340-600 on the drawing board.
The A330-200F competes directly with Boeing's 767-300F and is, says A300/A310 product manager Didier Lenormand, a "very low investment" response to the growing demand for a medium-capacity long-range freighter. The cargo version of the successful passenger A330-200 is set to receive an industrial launch at the Paris air show in June, and "could be in service by mid-2004", he says. "There's still some engineering work to do, but basically this is a very simple conversion because we can use equipment from the A300-600F such as the cargo door and handling system. We would break even very quickly on this type".
He says Airbus is "ready to go" with freighter variants of the A340-500/600 as well, admitting that UPS was interested "temporarily" in the A340-600F. The package carrier, which has orders for 90 A300-600Fs, instead went for second-hand, converted Boeing MD-11s. The airline has conversion rights for its A300 orders and 50 options to take other Airbus types, including the A340-600F (Flight International, 6-12 February).
The A330-200F, he says, is being offered after "strong feedback" from airlines for a 60t payload aircraft able to operate high frequencies over a 8,325km (4,500nm) range. He says the A330-200F will bring a 20% cost-per-tonne advantage over the competition.
Meanwhile, Airbus has refined details of the A380-800F freighter variant, refuting claims that the aircraft will suffer from upper-deck loading problems due to its height. "We have two loader manufacturers ready to build equipment for upper-deck loading", says Lenormand. The A380-800F will enter service in 2008. Its strengthened airframe design will provide the basis for the stretched A380-900.
Source: Flight International
