First Airbus A330-200F delivered to Etihad

The first of the three aircraft ordered was handed over to the airline’s chief executive officer, James Hogan, by Airbus president and CEO Tom Enders.

Much of the legacy fleet of converted and purpose-built cargo Airbus A300s and A310s, Boeing 757s and 767s, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10Fs and MD-11Fs, is now nearing retirement. With much of Boeing’s attention focused on bigger, 747 and 777-based freighters, Airbus formally launched the A330-200F freighter at the 2006 Farnborough Airshow.

The aircraft will be offered with Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-60 or Pratt & Whitney PW4170 engines, and features a large (141 x 101-inch) electrically-controlled and hydraulically-operated main-deck cargo door. This is intended to replace the A300-600F and A310F, and to compete with the Boeing 767-300F.

The A330-200F fits ‘below’ the 747-8 and 777F in capacity terms, but offers a true state-of-the-art solution, with very low cost per freight tonne mile. It produces the lowest noise levels and CO2 emissions for a freighter aircraft.

Interestingly, Airbus has postponed its own higher capacity cargo offering, the A380F, clearly believing that the biggest market opportunity today is for smaller freighters, which allow operators to increase frequencies and build up their operations as the recovery of freight traffic gains momentum. The manufacturer claims that its A330-200F is the “right aircraft, right now”.

The A330-200F is designed to carry up to 70 tonnes on 3,200nm (5,930km) sectors, or 64 tonnes on 4,000nm (7,400km) sectors. The main deck can accommodate up to 23 (88in x 125in) side-by-side (SBS) pallets or, if optional secondary structure is installed, a single row (SR) load of 16 (96in x 125in) pallets can be carried. By contrast, the Boeing 777F carries up to 103 tonnes, or 37 (96in x 125) pallets and has a full payload range of 4,895nm (9,065km). The new 747-8 carries 140 tonnes, over a range of 4,390nm (8,130km).

The new A330-200F has a versatile new main-deck cargo loading system that is designed to accommodate both pallets and containers in a wide variety of configurations. The freighter also had a revised nose landing gear, which is designed to give a level deck for cargo loading, as the standard ‘airliner’ A330-200F has something of a nose down ‘sit’ on the ground. The new nose gear uses a standard A330-200 nose oleo and wheels, but is attached lower in the fuselage, necessitating a distinctive bulged fairing under the nose to accommodate the nose-gear when retracted.

The first A330-200F made its maiden flight on November 5 2009 and the type was certificated on April 9 this year. Etihad’s cargo division, Etihad Crystal Cargo, was scheduled to receive its second aircraft as Arabian Aerospace was going to press, joining pairs of A300-600s and MD11s.

Etihad chief executive officer James Hogan expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the company’s cargo division which, he said, had seen an 18 per cent increase in cargo tonnage carried, and which he expected to achieve ‘break even’ by the end of 2011, and then move into profitability.

Acquisition of the A330-200F reflected Etihad’s determination to achieve further expansion and growth.

“The new aircraft will become a key part of our freighter fleet and make a major contribution to building the strength and network of our cargo business. The additional capacity will help us significantly expand our footprint in Asia and Europe, including China, as well as enhancing our worldwide charter services,” he said.

Airbus has 62 further firm orders for the A330-200F from nine customers: Intrepid Aviation Group (20), Flyington Freighters (12), OH Avion LLC (8), MatlinPatterson (6), BOC Aviation (5), MNG Airlines (4), Aircastle (3), Malaysia Airlines (2) and Turkish Airlines (2).

ACT Airlines has also signed an MOU for two aircraft. As well as offering new-build A330-200F freighters, Airbus has proposed conversions of existing A330-200 airliners.

Significantly, the A330-200F lies at the heart of the Airbus/EADS North America KC-45 tanker bid to the US Air Force. If successful, EADS will assemble the KC-45 in Mobile, Alabama, where the civilian A330-200F freighter aircraft will also be built.