N166UP

This airframe, registered as N166UP, is an Airbus freighter completed in 2005 with manufacturer serial number 0861. The type is an Airbus A300F4-622R (A300-600F) configured and operated for cargo service and is owned by UNITED PARCEL SERVICE CO, a corporation based in Louisville, KY, US, which has maintained the aircraft in its fleet since acquisition. The airframe carries a United States registration (US) and has been incorporated into UPS’s fleet modernization workstreams, including avionics retrofits and mission-specific maintenance programs. Its condition reflects active commercial freighter use with structure and systems maintained to operator program standards.

The aircraft is fitted in a main-deck palletised freighter layout with no passenger cabin and retains a two-crew cockpit, matching UPS’s standardized unit load device and pallet handling configurations for express cargo operations. As part of a UPS retrofit programme this specific airframe received the Honeywell Primus Epic integrated cockpit suite, improving systems commonality and mission reliability for the operator. Typical mission profiles for N166UP include medium- to long-range express freight sectors from its operator base in Louisville, Kentucky, and network feeder services across continental routes within the UPS network. Maintenance considerations for this freighter are driven by high-cycle rack-and-door systems and freighter-specific structural inspections tied to palletised loading operations.

The Airbus A300-600F family occupies a niche for medium-capacity, medium-range freighter operations with robust payload capability and conservative operating speeds and altitudes relative to newer twinjets. Competing models include converted widebody freighters and purpose-built freighter types that offer differing fuel and range trade-offs. For buyers and operators, maintenance and resale considerations for an airframe like serial 0861 focus on remaining structural life, engine maintenance status of the PW4158s, avionics commonality such as the Honeywell Primus Epic retrofit, and the sustained demand for palletised main-deck freighters in integrator networks.