UPS Moves to Grow Its Freighter Fleet

While ordering the planes, UPS also reduced a previous order for 90 A300 aircraft to 53. The company has already taken delivery of 40 A300s and will receive the remaining 13 by July 2006.

Delivery of the A380s will begin in 2009 and continue through 2012. The freighters have capacity to carry three decks of cargo. Container capacity is 40,000 cubic ft and maximum structural payload is 330,000 lbs. The plane has a flight range of 5,600 nautical miles, which means that it is able to fly non-stop to locations that presently require two or more flights.

In commenting on the purchase, UPS chief operating officer and president of UPS Airlines, John Beystehner, noted that, “The A380 will allow us to effectively meet the fast-growing demands of our customers across a variety of global trading lanes. The plane offers an exciting combination of payload and range that will help improve both the capability and efficiency of our international network.”