Turkish Airlines orders two A330-200 freighters

Turkish Airlines signed a firm order Nov. 24 for two A330-200 freighters, the latest Airbus cargo jet which made its maiden flight earlier in the month.

The freighter, which is challenging Boeing in the market for medium-sized cargo aircraft, now has 69 firm orders from ten airlines, the European aerospace company said.

The planes will join Turkish Airlines existing all-Airbus fleet of four A310s starting in the fall of 2010.

"The flexibility and efficiency of the A330-200 freighter, together with its communality with our existing Airbus fleet, made the new A330 freighter the ideal choice for expansion of our cargo operations," said Candan Karlitekin, chairman of Turkish Airlines.

The A330-200F made its first flight on Nov. 5 and is on track for certification and deliveries starting in 2010, Airbus said. The launch customer is Abu Dhabi's Etihad Crystal Cargo which has ordered three aircraft.

The freighter, which has a list price of around $184 million, can fly 3,200 miles non-stop with a 69-tonne payload.

Airbus has forecast airlines will order 1,600 medium-sized freighters of 30 to 80 tonnes capacity during the next 20 years to keep pace with an expected 5.2 percent average annual market growth.

Contact Bruce Barnard at brucebarnard47@hotmail.com.