Alis Aerolinee orders five Airbus A330 freighters

FARNBOROUGH (Reuters) - Italian cargo start-up carrier Alis Aerolinee Italiane has signed a memorandum of understanding for 5 Airbus (EAD.PA) A330-200 freighter aircraft worth a total of about $920 million (460 million pounds).

The airline also took options on three more freighters, Airbus said on Thursday at the Farnborough Airshow. The carrier has not yet chosen an engine for the planes.

"Alis Aerolinee Italiane intends to establish direct links between northern Italy and long-haul markets such as North America, India, China, Japan and southeast Asia," Airbus said in a statement.

The standard version of the A330-200F can carry up to 64 tonnes of cargo over 7,400 kilometres. Airbus has 77 firm orders for the aircraft from nine customers.

(Reporting by James Regan)