Sagawa Express places order for A300-600 freighter, becoming first operator of Airbus

Sagawa Express Co. Ltd, one of the largest cargo business companies in Japan, has established a subsidiary Galaxy Airlines Co. Ltd and selected Airbus A300-600 Freighter to inaugurate its own air transport business in Japan. This contract includes a firm order for one A300-600F, plus an option for another A300-600F.

With acquisition of its own freighter, Sagawa intends to offer lower fares than those of the existing air transport services, while promising next-day delivery service to distant destinations to/from Tokyo. The new subsidiary plans to increase its freighter fleet as business grows.

The first A300-600F will be delivered in November 2006. A300-600F has a payload capacity of 54 tonnes of cargo, with a range of up to 2,000nm/3,700km.

Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noel Forgeard said, “We are very pleased to see one of Japan’s major cargo companies, Sagawa Express, selecting Airbus freighter for its new business. It is a significant milestone for us in Japan that a new customer has joined our list from one of the most important markets.” “We believe that air transport business will further expand as future demand for internet shopping or mail-order business boosts, and that the A300-600F will certainly be an effective tool to meet Sagawa’s new business strategy,” he added.

A300-600F is one of the industry’s best-selling freighter types in this class. Airbus has won a total of 134 orders and commitments from customers including UPS, FedEx and Air Hong Kong. A300-600F provides spacious lower-deck holds capable of accommodating the industry-standard LD3 containers side-by-side or standard pallets, as well as a voluminous main deck with excellent cargo capacity.

Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, Sagawa Express is one of the largest cargo companies in Japan. Established in 1957, the Japanese company now has 31,415 employees and 19,687 delivery vehicles. Sales in 2004 were more than 720 billion Japanese yen. Sagawa has an extensive transport network inside and outside of Japan, with 337 branch offices nationwide and six local offices abroad.

A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems.

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