ASL Airlines Ireland has added its first A300-600F, serial 858, on lease from DHL Express (Germany) as the logistics firm moves its entire A300 fleet from Air Hong Kong to European operators.
The acquired plane B-LDD was retired by the Cathy Pacific cargo subsidiary in August and ferried from Hong Kong International to Budapest for maintenance. It has since been re-registered as EI-LDD but has yet to re-enter service on behalf of DHL Express in Europe. DHL’s senior vice president for global air fleet management, Malcolm Macbeth, said recently at an ISTAT transport air trading conference that the logistics firm was moving the A300s from Air Hong Kong due to the lack of technical support for the type in Asia, given the few remaining operators in the region.
The A300-600 jetliner’s wide-body fuselage cross-section, high versatility and low operating costs make it an ideal regional freighter. The A300-600F variant carries significant tonnage and volume on the main deck, as well as in the underfloor holds, accommodating the full range of existing cargo containers and pallets. With a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles, the A300-600F has the capability to fly all major regional routes of the world’s principal economic regions.
