Mas Air Cargo Airlines has undergone a complete makeover. On 21FEB22, it presented its fresh new look, new fleet, and announced its new name: “mas”. The Mexican cargo airline is on a clear, modern growth path.
The airline will be celebrating its 30th Birthday this April (with a flying record thankfully unblemished by any serious flight incident), yet doesn’t look a day over one thanks to its fresh new
logo and image. These were created by an Australian design company called Cato Brand Partners, Luis Sierra, mas’ CEO, told the press, colleagues and business partners attending the unveiling in
Hangar 10 of Mexico City’s International Airport on Monday.
New A330-200 P2F aircraft
The livery will soon adorn the airline’s new Airbus A330-200P2F aircraft, which was welcomed into the fleet that day, on lease from Altavair. Airbus’ President for Latin America, Arturo Barreira,
stated: “We are proud to welcome MasAir Cargo Airline as a new Airbus operator in Latin America and congratulate them for their first new generation A330-200P2F [Passenger-to-Freighter]
freighter. The aircraft, converted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), will be the first A330P2F in the Americas, and it will make mas' operations highly-efficient thanks to its lower operating
costs, greater payload, and range capability.” He drew attention to the aircraft’s “advanced and proven technology” which includes fly-by-wire flight controls, for example, and
added “Its optimized fuselage cross-section offers flexibility to transport a wide variety of pallet and container sizes. Airbus trusts that the A330-200 P2F will greatly support mas in its
expansion towards international markets.”
Big fleet plans
mas’ ambition is to become a major player in the international air cargo transportation industry, and for this the airline plans to grow its fleet to 18 aircraft by 2024, of which 8 will be
Airbus planes. “The A330P2F will be part of our fleet as the next generation widebody freighter, which offers a different solution for our clients,” the mas website states, pointing to the
A330-200P2F (“particularly suited for integrators and express carriers requiring high volumetric payload capability with lower-density cargo”) and the A330-300P2F (“optimized for
higher-density freight and longer-range performance”). The fleet mix also includes B767-300F, B767-300BDSF, and B767-200F aircraft.
Focus on safety
“Air safety is a priority for the company, which is why we comply with the highest international standards, such as the IOSA, EASA-TCO certificate; CCAR-129, CEIV, IATA Pharma. In addition,
we have a dedicated training center associated with the Canadian company CAE to train pilots and have the B767 full flight simulator,” Luis Sierra underlined at the event.
In the last three years, the airline, which has tripled its interconnection routes with the United States, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, Germany, and soon China, has been certified
by the AFAC, DGAC, FAA, EASA, as well as the aeronautical authorities of Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Canada.
Route expansions…
The A330-200 P2F has a payload capacity of up to 61 metric tons and a range of up to 4,200 nautical miles – a perfect combination for the airline expansion plans. Luis Sierra confirmed: “mas
will take advantage of the increased payload and range of the A330 to expand our global footprint, increasing flights to Europe and South America, and starting to fly to China. The innovative
reliability of the A330 P2F and its reduced environmental impact make it the ideal aircraft for mas to succeed in the global cargo market.”
mas aims to go from 8 to 18 regular routes on three continents: America, Europe, and Asia. Three Chinese destinations are in its strategy, which it aims to cover with 4 new ACMI contracts this
year.
Last May, CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Limited, agreed the lease of two Airbus A330-300P2F with mas – again a premiere lease
transaction for this aircraft type due to be delivered to mas in the first half of this year.
…and a focus on diversity
It is not just fleet and routes that are being developed. The airline, which has followed an ambitious expansion plan since the Mexican private equity fund, Discovery Americas took ownership in
DEC18, has grown from 90 to 320 employees since then, also quadrupling indirectly related jobs (from 400 to 1,600). mas is in clear and proactive alignment with SDG #5: gender equality with
regard to its human resource plans: “For mas, talent and diversity are key to the success of our consolidation, which is why we have joined IATA's gender inclusion and equity initiative with
the goal of having 25% women at all levels of the company by 2025,” Luis Sierra emphasized.
Brigitte Gledhill
We welcome and publish comments from all authenticated users.