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The A330 has reached the milestone of over 600 firm orders. This shows a strong market endorsement of Airbus’ environmentally friendly, long-range twin-engine in production aircraft which is leader in the medium to extended range category. The milestone was reached with the firm order, previously announced, for six A330-200s by TAM, Airbus’ largest customer in Latin America.

The A330-300 is the world’s lowest operating cost per seat aircraft in its segment, typically accommodating 335 passengers in two classes for regional operations or 295 travellers in three classes on long-haul routes of up to10,500km/5,650nm. Today, the A330-300 is the reference for airlines serving intra-Asia routes. The smaller capacity A330-200 has a range of 12,500km/6,750nm with 253 passengers in a comfort three-class seating arrangement. The A330-200 can easily serve non-stop destinations from Latin America to North America and Europe, from Asia to major US West Coast as well as operating economically on medium ranges.

Thanks to the A330’s true widebody fuselage, the cabin is optimised for both flexibility and comfort, enabling airlines to offer all passengers the highest levels of comfort of any aircraft in its class. The A330 main deck volume is echoed in the lower deck, which allows airlines to carry more revenue-generating cargo consolidated on pallets and containers loaded side-by-side, something which is not possible with existing competition in this category. This feature has, for example, enabled some operators to profitably fly regional overnight freight-only services with the A330 after a full day’s passenger service.

The A330 Family continues to evolve. Its latest member, the new A330-200F is the only modern solution for the mid-size freighter market. It is projected to enter service at the end of 2009. The newest Airbus freighter will offer operators between 64 tonnes and 69 tonnes payload, representing 30 per cent more volume than any freighter in its class. Another benefit the A330-200F brings to operators is a new dual weight capability, enabling them to grow their business by opening up or extending the cargo routes they currently operate. Typical range with a 64 tonne payload is 7,400km/4,000nm. This new aircraft meets the current and future noise and emissions regulations and will be an ideal solution for operators looking to replace their older mid-sized freighters currently in-service and modernise their fleet.