First converted A330 freighter flies from Cologne/Bonn

September 25, 2018

On Sunday afternoon, the first commercial air cargo flight with the world’s first Airbus A330-200 passenger to cargo conversion landed at Cologne Bonn Airport. Egyptair Cargo has incorporated the first aircraft of this type in its fleet and will operate between Cologne/Bonn and Cairo three times per week. The aircraft will regularly land at and take off from Cologne/Bonn in the afternoons. From October, the airline will increase its weekly flights to five, servicing Johannesburg as a new destination in addition to Cairo.

“We are very pleased that Egyptair Cargo is increasing its engagement here at Cologne/Bonn by deploying this aircraft. This is a strong commitment to our location and highlights once again the relevance and the potential of our Airport’s cargo sector,” says Flughafen Köln/Bonn CEO Johan Vanneste.

The A330-200P2F freighter replaces the Airbus A300-600F previously deployed by the airline. With a maximum payload of 61 tonnes, the more advanced and quieter new A330-200P2F can carry about 25 per cent more air cargo than its predecessor.

Picture: Johan Vanneste (fourth from left), CEO of Cologne Bonn Airport, welcomes Capt. Bassem Gohar (fifth from left), CEO of Egyptair Cargo, and his crew.

James Graham

James Graham is an award-winning transport media journalist with a long background in the commercial freight sector, including commercial aviation and the aviation supply chain. He was the initial Air Cargo Week journalist and retuned later for a stint as editor. He continues his association as editor of the monthly supplements. He has reported for the newspaper from global locations as well as the UK.