Turkish Airlines signed a firm order Nov. 24 for two A330-200 freighters, the latest Airbus cargo jet which made its maiden flight earlier in the month.
The freighter, which is challenging Boeing in the market for medium-sized cargo aircraft, now has 69 firm orders from ten airlines, the European aerospace company said.
The planes will join Turkish Airlines existing all-Airbus fleet of four A310s starting in the fall of 2010.
The freighter, which has a list price of around $184 million, can fly 3,200 miles non-stop with a 69-tonne payload.
Airbus has forecast airlines will order 1,600 medium-sized freighters of 30 to 80 tonnes capacity during the next 20 years to keep pace with an expected 5.2 percent average annual market growth.
The Journal of Commerce Online