Qatar Airways Cargo order five new Airbus A330-200F freighters

By BA Staff

Qatar Airways A330-200F. Image courtesy Airbus S.A.S.

Qatar Airways has placed a firm order for five new Airbus A330-200 Freighter aircraft in an agreement signed at the Dubai Airshow 2013.

These new aircraft will complement the airline's rapidly growing network, which includes more than 40 routes that have dedicated freighter services.

Included in the order are eight additional A330-200F options – which would make the deal potentially worth over $2.8bn at list prices for a total of 13 aircraft.

Qatar Airways Cargo already operates three A330-200Fs since earlier this year.

Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways CEO said:

“The A330 Family has demonstrated outstanding operational reliability and performance for both our passenger and cargo transport operations. It is with this in mind that we chose to expand our freighter fleets with more A330-200Fs. We aim to be the best in everything we do, the air cargo market is no different, which is why we ordered the most modern and economic cargo aircraft available in its category.”

Airbus President and CEO, Fabrice Brégier said:

“Qatar Airways is one of our key partners in the region, and its selection of the A330-200F illuminates its ambitious plans as the airline expands and invests in new freighter aircraft. The A330-200F, with up to 70 metric tonnes of payload, is the only viable alternative to large freighters in today’s fast changing market, making it an ideal choice for a constantly evolving carrier.”

Qatar Airways received its first Airbus aircraft in 1997. Today Airbus aircraft form an ever more essential cornerstone of Qatar Airways’ global operations with more than 200 aircraft directly ordered across all modern Airbus product families, from the single-aisle A320 all the way up to the flagship A380.

Aimed at replacing ageing mid-sized freighters, the A330-200F offers an alternative to larger freighters within fleets. It builds on the successful A330 twin-jet platform and can carry 70 tonnes of payload, with a range capability of up to 4,000nm.

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Etihad orders 87 Airbus aircraft

by Devesh Agarwal

Etihad Airways, of the United Arab Emirates, has announced a firm order on European airframer Airbus S.A.S. for 50 A350 XWBs, 36 A320neo aircraft and one A330-200F freighter worth $26.9 billion at list prices.

The contract was signed yesterday at the 2013 Dubai Airshow by James Hogan, Etihad Airways CEO and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.

The Airbus A350 XWB order will be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and deliveries will commence in 2020. The 26 A321neo and 10 A320neo aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2018, while the A330-200F will arrive in 2017. The neos will be powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines.

Etihad currently operates a fleet of 23 A320 Family aircraft, 25 A330s and 11 A340s.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways,

“Ten years ago this month, we celebrated our inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi using an Airbus A330. A decade later, we have grown into one of the world’s leading airlines and the importance of Airbus to our fast-growing operations has never been stronger. We have more than 60 Airbus aircraft in our fleet today, and this latest order is testament to the continued strength of our partnership. As one of the first airlines set to receive the much-awaited Airbus A350-1000, we look forward to benefiting from its operational efficiencies and cost savings.”

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) is an all-new "mini jumbo" long range product line comprising three versions, the A350-800, A350-900, A350-1000. In a typical two-class configuration, the A350-900 can seat 315 passengers and the A350-1000 seats 369 passengers. The aircraft will offer the range for Etihad to expand its network around the world. On the same day as it ordered the A350, Etihad also ordered its biggest competition the Boeing 777-9X and 777-8X which can seat 400+ and 350 passengers respectively.

In comparison to the Boeing aircraft, which Etihad is expected to fit with 17 inch width economy class seats, the A350 fuselage cross-section is optimized to accommodate Airbus’ 18-inch economy seat-width for long range passenger comfort. Etihad's new order is expected to commence delivery in 2020, the same time as the Boeing 777-9X.

The A320neo is offered as an option for the A320 Family and incorporates new more efficient engines and large "Sharklet" wing tip devices, which together will deliver up to 15 percent in fuel savings. At the end of October 2013, firm orders for the NEO stood at 2,487 from 44 customers, making it the fastest selling commercial airliner ever.

The A330-200F is the freighter version of the A330. It can carry 70 tonnes of payload with a range capability of up to 4,000nm.

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Dubai Airshow 2013 starts with record breaking orders

As expected the Dubai Airshow opened today with a record breaking order book.

Within three hours of opening, the show’s order tally reached US $162.6 billion – surpassing its previous record of US $155 billion record set in 2007 – with deals coming from Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, flydubai and Qatar Airways.

The opening order came from Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways which announced a deal for 56 new Boeing 777s valued at US$25.2 billion at list prices, including related GE engines. The deal also sees Etihad become the launch customer for the 777-8X which is expected to enter service in 2022.

The airline also ordered 30 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, making Etihad the largest customer for the composite aircraft.

James Hogan, President and CEO, Etihad Airways said

“We rarely make announcements at air shows, but when we do the world listens,”

Dubai-headquartered Emirates Airline rapidly re-wrote the Dubai Airshow record with news of a US$99 billion purchase of Boeing and Airbus planes – which industry experts dubbed the largest-ever aircraft order in civil aviation.

The Emirates headline deal was for 150 Boeing 777X, plus 50 purchase rights, and an additional 50 Airbus A380 superjumbos - of which Emirates is currently the largest fleet operator.

Low-cost airline FlyDubai weighed in with a US$11.4 billion order for 111 Boeing 737s and 738s, and then Qatar Airways topped off the morning’s historic agreements with the signing of a US$19 billion letter of intent for 54 Boeing 777s.

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Qatar Airways receives first Airbus A330-200F Freighter

Airbus has delivered the initial A330-200F for Qatar Airways, further expanding the list of international carriers enhancing their aircraft fleets with this new-generation freighter. Qatar Airways’ A330-200F is the first of three to be provided on lease from BOC Aviation, and will be used on the operator’s international freight network, replacing A300-600Fs that have been in service since 2002. The three cargo aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.

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