Atlas Air eyes 15 Airbus A380 freighters, plus 10 options

The U.S.-based Atlas Air Inc is considering buying 15 Airbus A380 freighters and taking options on another 10, Atlas president Michael Chowdry told Reuters. "The A380 looks like the right plane for us. It's very impressive. I can definitely see it at some point in the Atlas Air fleet," he said in an interview yesterday. Chowdry was speaking after a meeting of The International Cargo Association (TIACA) in Dubai.

He added that Atlas "was not in a hurry to make a decision as it would still get a discount" for being a launch customer for the A380 freighter version. Chowdry said the list price was around $230 million, some $10 to $15 million more than the passenger version.

The operating costs of the 150-tonne capacity A380 were expected to be 15 per cent lower than those of the latest Boeing 747-400 freighters, he said. A decision will be taken on an order sometime this year but he declined to be more precise. If Atlas does buy the A380, Chowdry said he expected to see the freighter enter service with the company in 2008. Emirates airline is due to be the first A380 freighter operator in first quarter 2008.

Atlas would look at operating the new Airbus on high-density, non-stop long-haul routes such as Taipei-Chicago, Hong Kong-Chicago, Tokyo-New York and Hong Kong-London, he added. The company is already the world's largest operator of Boeing 747 freighters with 37 aircraft including 12 Boeing 747-400s. The aircraft are wet-leased to other major airlines to provide additional cargo lift. Wet-leasing involves the provision of ACMI contracts (aircraft/crew/maintenance and insurance).

Asked about Atlas' potential interest in Boeing Co's proposed 747X stretched freighter, which is also intended to lift 150 tonnes, Chowdry said, "We don't know anything about that plane. The drawings and configuration (of the 747X freighter) change every week. So far we have seen four to five different variants. Until we have a definite plane, it's difficult to make comparisons.

"But additionally the A380 will be at the start of its working life. It will change the way that cargo is carried," he added. Chowdry said the company's decision on which smaller planes to acquire in the 50- to 60-tonne capacity range was likely to come before any A380 decision. These could be either Boeing 767 freighters or Airbus Industrie's A300-600 freighters, he added.