Airbus looks to 2010 for turn around, sticks to freighters

EUROPEAN aircraft manufacturer Airbus is preparing to launch its new generation of freighter aircraft at a time when the global industry is reeling from a drop in demand.

Airbus, says Aviation Week, is looking to the long term when it comes to the freighter market, with its sights set on winning business away from US rival Boeing.
As the company's sales chief John Leahy admits the amount of tonnage moved by air is falling more rapidly than passenger numbers.
The figures speak volumes about the state of the industry now that the global cargo volume fell 4 per cent last year, dragged down by December's decline of 22.6 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier.
The 22.6 per cent freefall in global cargo is unprecedented and shocking, said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO. Even in September 2001, when much of the global fleet was grounded, the decline was only 13.9 per cent.
The Air Cargo Management Group is forecasting a five per cent decline in global airfreight in 2009, before a recovery begins in 2010.

Airbus officials hope that by the time their newest products hit the market, conditions will have improved. Such a recovery would coincide with the launch of the new A330-200. The A330 freighter programme was said to have enjoyed strong demand from orders following its January 2007 launch, but saw a reversal of fortune in 2008, when firm orders fell from 72 to 65.
Mr Leahy maintains the A330 freighter cancellations were driven mainly by the short-term realities of the market.
In addition to the A330-200F, the freighter business unit is supporting ongoing A300/A310 conversions, which are undertaken by Airbus sister unit EFW, the report noted. The company is due to commence the A320/A321 passenger-to-freighter conversion programme; as well as preparations for A330 or A340 conversions, perhaps in the middle of the next decade.

Source: Transportweekly