Two US leasing companies hope to introduce the Airbus A300-600 converted freighter in North America this year. Intrepid Aviation Partners has committed itself to 12 A300-600 conversions, making it the second customer after FedEx in EADS' new conversion programme, while Christopher Damianos, vice president of cargo programmes at General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), says A300-600 conversions "are on our priority list for 2002". But it is unclear to what extent wet-lease operators are ready to upgrade to the aircraft
Several small wet-lease carriers - including Air Transport International (ATI), Capital Cargo International Airlines and International Cargo Charters (ICC) - have expressed interest in leasing A300-600s. But industry officials say FedEx is the lead candidate for the Intrepid aircraft and potential GECAS conversions. The parcel carrier operates 36 factory-built A300-600Fs, and took delivery in January of the first of eight A300-600s being converted by EADS.
One of Intrepid's owners, Michael Goldberg, says he may lease the aircraft outside his portfolio of companies, as well as to his own wet-lease operator, Express.net Airlines. His leasing companies now own eight A300-600s between them, he adds. Damianos says GECAS also has several A300-600 passenger aircraft on lease, adding that the company hopes eventually to convert them, depending on demand.
The factory-built A300-600F has become a workhorse in the domestic express package networks of FedEx and, to a less extent, UPS. The smaller and less expensive A300B4 freighter, meanwhile, has proven popular among a trio of US-based wet-lease carriers: Express.net, ICC and Tradewinds Airlines fly a combined 13 A300B4s in the heavy-freight network of carrier CNF.
Tradewinds also operates one A300B4 for CNF rival Eagle Global Logistics, and there are proposals to add the aircraft to the networks of BAX Global and Kitty Hawk Cargo, the other two domestic heavy-freight carriers. Investors with the Coreolis Group, which owns Tradewinds and also hopes to acquire bankrupt Kitty Hawk, says it is interested in introducing the A300B4 on Kitty Hawk's network.
ATI says it is considering the A300B4, converted Boeing 767s and A300-600s to replace its 13 McDonnell Douglas DC-8Fs. ATI operates DC-8s for BAX, which also wet-leases nine Boeing 727s from Capital Cargo. Peter Fox, Capital Cargo chief executive, says the carrier is looking to add a second aircraft type by the end of 2003, and is interested in the A300-600 rather than the A300B4.
Some industry officials say, given the A300-600's market value and availability, it is not yet an affordable alternative for traditional A300B4, 727 or DC-8 wet-lease operators. "The key to the A300-600F programme's success will be if the aircraft gets cheap enough to part out," says C-S Aviation vice president of sales and marketing Gary Kincaid. C-S, which now leases 22 A300B4s, is not interested in adding the A300-600 to its portfolio, he adds.
Source: Flight International
