ULS Airlines Cargo (GO, Istanbul Airport) began operations with its first A330-300(P2F) dry-leased from Air Transport Services Group. The aircraft entered service on May 10, operating on a route between Istanbul Airport and Cairo International under an ACMI contract with Turkish Airlines.
TC-GOL (msn 356) is a 2000-vintage aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and was one out of two A330-300 purchased by ULS Airlines Cargo in 2021. The company subsequently sold the aircraft to Air Transport Services Group which converted them into freighters at Elbe Flugzeugwerke. TC-GOL was repurposed for cargo transport in EFW's Dresden facility while its sistership (msn 349, set to become TC-GOU) is completing pre-induction maintenance in Istanbul.
The airline's managing director Yasin Ata told ch-aviation that TC-GOU is expected to enter service in June 2025.
ULS Cargo Airlines plans to continue expanding its fleet with A330-300(P2F)s after taking delivery of two jets, gradually growing the number of aircraft to six. In an exclusive interview with ch-aviation, Managing Director Yasin Ata said that the airline intends to replace its fleet of three A310-300(F)s with A330-300(P2F).
However, A330-300(P2F)s will not immediately substitute A310-300(F)s as the latter are scheduled for retirement in 2027 and 2029.