News Updates.(UPS Airlines, DHL Airways Inc., FedEx Express, Air Bridge Carriers ,Boieng Co.)

UPS Signs With Boeing

UPS may be standing pat for the time being on its orders for A380 freighters from Airbus but the parcel carrier is hardly standing pat on buying from Boeing. UPS last month stepped up its aircraft purchasing by placing orders for 27 widebody 767-300 extended-range freighters from Boeing, the first large aircraft order from the world''s second-largest cargo airline has placed since problems at Airbus threw the A380 production line into disarray.

Boeing has been eating up freighter orders since there, including buys from FedEx Express after that carrier and others canceled their orders for A380 freighters amid reports in 2006 of production delays at Airbus.

Airbus got some good news this year with the launch of its A330-200 freighter. Guggenheim Aviation Partners, acting on behalf of one of its investment funds, and Avionic Aircraft Trading followed by signing an agreement to buy another six of the freighter editions.

But UPS said the order for the 767s is not related to its on-going review of its order for 10 A380 freighters.

UPS already operates 767-200s so the order of the larger-capacity -300 isn''t a stretch for the carrier''s fleet. To be delivered between 2009 and 2012, the planes will bolster an international cargo business that grew 27.3 percent in 2005 in terms of traffic. UPS international package revenue hit $9.09 billion in 2006, nearly double the revenue just four years before.

The new 767-300ERs will most likely be used on UPS routes to and from Europe and Latin America as well as on runs within Asia and Europe. The 767-300ER has a maximum payload of 132,000 pounds and a range of 3,000 nautical miles.

Bob Lekites, UPS vice president for airline and international operations described the 767-300ER …