Icelandic Avion Aircraft Trading has firmed up its deal with Airbus and has signed a contract for eight A330-200 Freighter aircraft, increasing its initial commitment (MOU) by two. This follows the finalisation of a first leasing arrangement with Icelandair Cargo for four A330-200Fs.

Deliveries to Avion Aircraft Trading will start in 2010. The engine choice has not yet been finalised.

"The A330-200F is the ideal complement to our portfolio of bigger cargo airplanes," said Hafthor Hafsteinson, Executive Chairman of Avion Aircraft Trading. Its payload characteristics open up new possibilities for our airline customers combined with very attractive operating costs. We have decided to increase our initial order due to the very positive market response and we are looking forward to doing more business with Airbus."

"The A330-200F is the right aircraft for our fleet as it enables us to offer increased cargo capacity to our customers," Petur Eiriksson, Managing Director of Icelandair Cargo said. "With more payload and range than any other freighter currently operated in the Icelandair Group, it will enable us to further expand our business by opening up new cargo routes."

"We are extremely honoured by this strong endorsement from Avion Aircraft Trading and we are very pleased to welcome Icelandair Cargo amongst our operators", said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. The A330-200F programme is definitely headed for a very good start and we are confident this aircraft will become a winner on the cargo market."

The A330-200F is a derivative of the very popular A330 Family operated by more than 60 operators worldwide. This 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 full operational commonality unique to Airbus thanks to the now well recognised Airbus Fly-By-Wire technology which 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 the aircraft can carry 69 metric tonnes up to 3,200 nautical miles/5930 km. 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.