MatlinPatterson orders 6 Airbus 330-200 freighters

MatlinPatterson orders 6 Airbus 330-200 freighters New York-based investment fund MatlinPatterson Global Advisers LLC, through an affiliate, has signed a firm contract for six Airbus 330-200 freighters that will be used by affiliate airlines such as Varig Logistica in Brazil and Global Aero Logistics in the United States.
   Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.
   Airbus said it now has 72 firm orders from eight customers for the A330-200F, which can accommodate both pallets and containers and is capable of carrying 64 tons of cargo up to 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 kilometers) in standard “range mode,” or 69 tons up to 3,200 nautical miles (5,930 kilometers) in “payload mode.”
   “We are very pleased to add the new widebody freighter, the Airbus A330-200F to our portfolio, which will allow us to renew the fleets of our airlines”, said David Matlin, chief executive officer of MatlinPatterson. “This aircraft’s superior payload-range capability and low operating cost are a significant improvement over the older generation aircraft that it will replace.”