Toulouse, 09 January 2001
United Parcel Service (UPS) Parcel ordered 60 Airbus A300-600 freighter aircraft, two years after placing its first Airbus order. The newly ordered A300-600 freighters will be delivered to UPS from 2003 to 2009 for operation on routes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
UPS said its decision to order more Airbus freighters was driven by a need for more widebody shorter-haul jet freighters that can operate economically on varied routes on a regional basis. The airline considered several new and used aircraft types, but judged the Airbus A300-600 as having the best combination of reliability, operating characteristics, extended acquisition economics and environmental friendliness.
'We need to be prepared to deploy a modern jet freighter that's flexible enough to operate anywhere," said Bob Lekites, Vice President, UPS Airlines Operations. "This order for the A300-600 provides us that long-term capability. This aircraft is the perfect fit for our specific needs."
"This UPS order for one of Airbus" original widebody aircraft, and its most successful freighter, is a huge endorsement of the strength of the Airbus product line," said Noël Forgeard, Airbus Chief Executive Officer. "The freighter market continues to grow for Airbus aircraft and the fact that this latest order comes from the United States demonstrates the global attraction to the reliability and flexibility of Airbus freighters."
UPS has taken delivery of seven of 30 A300-600s firm-ordered in 1998, and along with the order for 60 announced today, will total 90 A300-600 freighters.
The UPS A300-600 freighters have the capacity to carry 22 A2H containers on the main deck and seven LD9 containers on the lower deck (four forward and three aft). With a structural payload of 50 tonnes (109,600 Ibs) and a range of 4,650 km (2,500 nm), the A300-600 freighter meets the strictest U.S. and European noise and emission reduction standards.
For further information, please contact:
Airbus - Press Department
Tel.: (33) 05.61.93.33.87 or 05.81.93.34.31
also available on Internet: http://lwww.airbus.com
