A320 cargo pact restores Russia’s ties to EADS
The June 5 signing of a contract for work on Airbus A320 cargo conversion program appears to have restored Russia’s position as a full partner in Europe’s

The June 5 signing of a contract for work on Airbus A320 cargo conversion program appears to have restored Russia’s position as a full partner in Europe’s EADS group. The pact could signify repair of relations damaged in 2006 when the German and Russian governments disputed the position of Russian shareholders in EADS.

The $360 million deal is between Russian and European shareholders in the Airbus Freighter Conversion (AFC) joint venture formed last year and headquartered in Dresden, Germany. Russia’s NPO Irkut and the new United Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. (OAK) each have a 25-percent stake in the AFC and they will provide half the funding to prepare conversion documentation for the A320 P2F program to convert 10- to 15-year-old A320 airliners into freighters.

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