Airbus gets A330 freighter order

While the Boeing Co. has long dominated the cargo market, rival Airbus tiptoed back into the fray Monday with a tentative order for its newest midsize freighter.

Last summer, Airbus launched its A330-200 Freighter. Lost in the European jetmaker’s ups and downs in 2006, the new cargo jet didn’t see its first order until a U.S.-based leasing company put in a request for 20 freighters in a deal announced Monday. Intrepid Aviation Group signed a letter of intent for the new A330-200 cargo jets with delivery expected to begin in 2010.

“We are excited to be the launch customer for the A330 Freighter and know it will serve us and our customers well,” said Ron Anderson, chief executive of Intrepid Aviation, in a prepared statement. “Its size, range and exceptional economics make it very attractive for airlines needing a medium- to long-range wide-body freighter.”

Boeing estimates that it holds 90 percent of the cargo market with a variety of freighters already on the market as well as several more in the works. In 2006, the company broke its own record for cargo plane orders with 81 requests for the year. The bulk of the demand was for Boeing’s latest cargo plane offerings, the Everett-built 777 Freighter and 747-8 Freighter, scheduled to go into service in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Airbus announced last March the discontinuation of its only cargo plane in production, the A300-600 Freighter, which will leave the company with few freighter deliveries in the short-term.

The Toulouse, France-based company lost cargo orders to Boeing last year over its thrice-delayed A380 superjumbo freighter. Deliveries of the superjumbo jet were pushed back two years on average. Airbus has a third freighter in the works, its A350 Extra Wide-Body plane, which won’t enter service until 2013 at the earliest.

“As a new generation of freighter, the A330-200F promises to bring a new level of technology, economic performance and environmental friendliness, to Intrepid’s customers, and ours,” said John Leahy, an Airbus chief operating officer, in a press statement.

Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.