Alis Aerolinee Italiane, an Italian cargo start-up company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the acquisition of five A330-200 Freighter aircraft, plus three options. An engine choice has not been made yet.

With an important cargo market potential, Alis Aerolinee Italiane intends to establish direct links between Northern Italy and long haul markets such as North America, India, China, Japan and South-East Asia.

“By opting for the A330-200F for our operations, we start with the most modern cargo aircraft available on the market in its category. The A330-200F offers superior economics, operational flexibility and overall better value for money what made it the logical choice for Alis and its shareholders,” said Alcide Leali, founder and CEO of Alis Aerolinee Italiane. “We are fully convinced that the A330-200 Freighter aircraft will greatly contribute to our development plans and allow us to operate the most modern and efficient fleet of cargo aircraft in Italy”.

Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, John Leahy said, “We are proud to have been selected as Alis’s strategic partner in this exciting new project with our all-new A330-200F. This is another endorsement for our game changing A330 Freighter and a recognition of the opportunities the A330F offers carriers who want to run a flexible and optimized freighter operation on mid to long haul routes”.

The A330-200F is the latest addition to the very popular A330 Family of which over 540 aircraft are presently in service with more than 70 operators worldwide. This extensive operator base will greatly facilitate the entry into service of the new all-cargo variant into existing A330 fleets. As for all Airbus aircraft currently in production, the A330-200F will also benefit from Airbus’ unique full operational commonality. The now well recognised Airbus Fly-By-Wire technology 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 over 4,000 nautical miles/7400 km in its standard version. When selecting the optional payload mode operators 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. Total firm orders for the aircraft stand at 77 from nine customers.



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