MatlinPatterson Global Advisers LLC, the US investment fund, through an affiliate, has signed a firm contract for six A330-200 Freighter aircraft. The company intends for the aircraft to be used by certain of its airline portfolio companies, such as Varig Logistica in Brazil and Global Aero Logistics in the USA. With this agreement the two airlines will become new Airbus operators. This new contract brings firm orders for the recently launched A330-200F to 72 firm orders from eight customers, confirming the strong market demand in the Freighter sector.
The A330-200F is a derivative of the very popular A330 family operated by more than 60 operators worldwide. This will greatly facilitate the entry into service of the new all-cargo variant into existing A330 fleets. The A330-200F will also benefit from full operational commonality unique to Airbus thanks to the well recognised Airbus Fly-By-Wire technology, which also enables faster pilot transitioning to and from other Airbus aircraft, both passenger and freighter.
The A330-200F can carry up to 64 metric tonnes of cargo over 4,000 nautical miles/7400 km in its standard version. When selecting the optional payload mode the aircraft can carry 69 metric tonnes up to 3,200 nautical miles/5930km. These range and payload capabilities will enable operators to grow their business by opening up or extending cargo routes currently operated. Thanks to an optimized fuselage cross-section, it has the interior flexibility to carry a wide variety of pallet and container sizes for maximum interlining capability, offering 30 percent more volume than any freighter in its class.
Source: Airbus