Dubai: Etihad Airways has ordered two more Airbus A330-200 freighter planes in a deal worth $423 million at current list prices, the Abu Dhabi carrier said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the move is aimed at doubling the size of its Airbus A330-200F fleet.
"We are strongly committed to building our presence in the cargo sector with the platform of Abu Dhabi as our hub to connect global trade lanes," Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said in a statement.
He added that the A330-200F aircraft type is integral to the airline's growth and success.
Etihad Airways was a launch customer and the launch operator of the A330-200F, having taken delivery of its first aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2010.
The airline operates its A330-200Fs on routes to Addis Ababa, Almaty, Beijing, Erbil, Frankfurt-Hahn, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Milan and Nairobi.
Commenting on Etihad's repeat order for the aircraft type, John Leahy, Airbus' Chief Operating Officer, Customers, said in a statement, that the A330-200F enables the carrier to "optimise its network" by addressing markets which do not make business sense with large freighters.
