DALLAS — AeroUnion (6R), together with Avianca Cargo (QT), have received its first Airbus A330 Freighter after retiring its Airbus A300 in early July 2024.

The Mexican cargo carrier flew its last flight on the Airbus A300 on June 28, 2024 after operating this aircraft for over 20 years. 6R owned nine Airbus A300s and operated 10 planes from 2001 to 2024. The last one was the Airbus A300B4-600R (F) XA-UYR SN:643, delivered to the airline in January 2017 and operated until June 2024.

The Airbus A330 was included in the modernization plan for the 6R fleet, increasing cargo capacity and airline operation range.

The New Member of the Fleet

The new plane is an Airbus A330-343XP2F (Passenger-to-freighter conversion) with SN:791. The aircraft was delivered to China Eastern Airlines(MU), leased from CDB Aviation, in October 2006.

The 17.8-year-old Airbus A330-300 has flown for three airlines before being converted into a freighter in Shanghai Hongqiao(SHA) from July 2023 to  January 2024. It was then delivered to Medellin(MDE), where it received the new registration “N337QT.”

In May 2024, it was ferried to Santa Lucia(NLU) on delivery to 6R. The Airbus A330 will increase the cargo capacity to 60% compared to the Boeing 767-200 and will be principally used on the U.S. west coast routes.

“The A330 is an ideal aircraft due to its higher volumetric capacity and lower environmental impact, attributed to enhanced fuel efficiency per ton,” – said Diogo Elias, Senior Vice President and Leader of Avianca Cargo.

One year after 6R and QT implemented a commercial cooperation agreement, the former has already received its first Airbus A330, and both airlines expect to receive another four units between 2024 and 2025.

"We are happy to receive the new A330 P2F, an aircraft that comes to reinforce our service and reliability offer, increasing our volumetric capacity and improving our connectivity to the West Coast markets in our region," – said Danilo Correa, Aerounion's CEO.