United Parcel Service says it is buying 27 new Boeing 767-300 Extended Range freighters – butdenies they are to replace the ten A380 cargo planes it has ordered from Airbus.
UPS is the last remaining customer for the Airbus cargo plane and has been consideringfollowing FedEx and leasing firm ILFC in cancelling its order due to production problems at theEuropean manufacturer.
Yet the new Boeing freighters, UPS said, were not linked to the A380 order and were neededseparately to support its growing package business. The Airbus freighters were planned for use onspecific long-haul routes currently serviced by B-747 and MD-11 freighters, the carrier explained.
“The order for the 27 B-767s is not related to UPS’s ongoing review of its order for 10Airbus A380 freighters,” UPS said in a statement yesterday.
The new 767s are to be delivered between 2009 and 2012; the first A380 is due at UPS in May2010. The value of the Boeing contract was not disclosed.
UPS is experiencing strong growth in its international package business, with average exportvolume climbing 12% in 2006. The wide-body 767s can be used on routes between the USA and Europeand Latin America, as well as on lanes within Asia and Europe, and UPS says they will allow it toimprove the efficiency and speed of its air network as it eventually replaces ageing aircraft.
“The Boeing 767-300ER freighter already is part of our current air fleet and we know fromexperience what a great workhorse it is,” said Bob Lekites, UPS vice-president, airline andinternational operations.
“It’s also a good answer to our fleet management needs because it provides great flexibility,fast time in transit and sound cost performance. In addition, we already have the pilot training,ground support and maintenance systems in place, making for a seamless integration.”
The 767-300ER freighter first entered service with UPS in 1995. Powered by General Electricjet engines, the plane can carry 24 containers on its upper deck and seven containers in the lowercargo compartments. It has a maximum payload of 132,200 pounds and a range of 3,000 nautical miles.
“This is a great aircraft for the long-term needs of our company,” said David Abney, UPS’snew chief operating officer and president of UPS Airlines. “It will support our global growth, itmeets the strictest noise and emission standards in the USA and Europe, and each one will havestate-of-the-art navigation and collision avoidance systems that will serve us for years to come.”
French business newspaper Les Echos reported in January that UPS was planning to cancel the$2.5 billion Airbus A380 order.
