As part of its expansion strategy, Mexican freighter operator MasAir is leasing two Airbus A330-200P2F (passenger-to-freighter) aircraft from Altavair.
The agreement covers the leasing of two converted aircraft that will be delivered to MasAir early next year.
The carrier is also investing more than $5m in hiring and training crew and technical personnel to operate the aircraft.
The A330-200P2F has a payload of up to 61 tonnes and has a range of up to 4,200 nautical miles, making it possible for MasAir to expand into new markets including China, where it obtained certification to fly last year.
Andres Fabre, member of the board of MasAir and currently heading the ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) type leases and fleet divisions of the company, commented: “These are exciting times for MasAir, where the company will advance in an important leap towards incorporating a modern and more eco-friendly aircraft that will allow MasAir to provide a better service to its ACMI customers with a higher-capacity, longer range, and more fuel-efficient aircraft. This milestone clearly reflects the confirmation of the ambitious plan that was defined jointly with Discovery Americas’s investment in the company in 2018.
“Mas Air is on the way to becoming a very important player in the global cargo airline industry, as this is just the first step of the second phase of our important fleet expansion program.”
Arturo Barreira, president of Airbus Latin America, added: “We look forward to having MasAir join the Airbus family of operators in Mexico and experience directly the benefits of operating this new-generation freighter.
“The A330-200P2F will provide MasAir with a highly efficient operation and flexibility based on the proven and technologically advanced A330 platform. With greater payload and range capability than any freighter in its class, less noise and emissions than mid-sized cargo aircraft in service today, and an optimized fuselage crosssection that offers flexibility to carry a wide variety of pallet and container sizes, Airbus is confident the A330-200 P2F will successfully support MasAir’s expansion into new international markets.”
Last year, Mexican freighter operator MasAir Cargo started operations for DHL Express utilizing one of its Boeing 767 freighters.
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