mas starts scheduled cargo flights into China
- 350 tonnes of weekly capacity will be initially offered between the Mexico City and Zhengzhou Xinzheng international airports
- in comparison to 2021, Latin-American airlines have increased their capacity in 35%
Mexico City, May 30th, 2022. On May the 28th, Mexican Airline mas -formerly known as MasAir- performed its inaugural flight between the Mexico City and the Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, in China. This flight gives way to the new commercial route announced since the start of the year as part of mas’ growth strategy, and as a reaction to the needs of the international cargo market.
Jesús Seade Kuri, Mexico’s Ambassador in China, highlighted that this flight will facilitate and promote commerce between Asia and the Americas: “Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, located in Henan province, is a strategic central to manage cargo flights due to its logistics strength and solid capabilities in the sector. On the other hand, Mexico City International Airport is the main access point into the large and growing domestic Mexican market and also the door into the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean”, he added.
According to data from the International Air Transport Agency (IATA) from March, airlines in Latin America grew their cargo operations 22% in comparison to 2021, which turned the region into the best performing for transporting cargo in the world.
For this initial route into Asia, mas will operate for Universal Translink Aviation Transportation Service Co., Ltd (UTA), a company focused on international transportation, container shipping, air cargo services and supply chain solutions. The exchange of cargo between the Americas and Asia will start with two weekly frequencies, and will grow to three frequencies per week starting in July. These flights will be operated with mas’ recently delivered A330-200P2F, with a capacity of 60 tonnes, translating into a weekly capacity of tonnes, or over 18,000 tonnes per year.
“With the start of this first operation in China, we expanded our global presence, being the first Latin American cargo company to operate in 3 continents. We are deeply grateful to UTA who has been the best promoter of this project”, mentioned Luis Sierra, CEO of mas. “UTA is a trusted partner that has extensive knowledge of the transportation industry and a keen vision for the future; It has professional teams and creative solutions necessary for today's world,” he added.
On the other hand, Danny Bo, Founder and Chairman of UTA, mentioned “ever since we established business relationship with mas, the cooperation has been smooth, the service has been excellent and the communication has been effective. We look forward to having mas as a reliable partner for years to come.
During the month of July, mas plans to add a second destination in China, - at the Chongqing-Jiangbei International Airport-, also with 3 flights a week. This will mean a total of 6 flights a week from mas between Mexico and China, offering a combined capacity of more than 700 tonnes per week between the two countries.
In 2022 alone, it is projected that mas will grow its network by up to 150% and grow its ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) business by 300%.