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DHL hires MasAir Cargo to shave day from Asia-Mexico transit

Mexican carrier MasAir Cargo is under contract with DHL to operate flights from Los Angeles. (Photo: MasAir Cargo)

MasAir Cargo Airlines is operating a new air service for DHL Express from Los Angeles to Mexico six times per week, providing faster connection times for Asian exports originating in Hong Kong.

Since August, MAS has operated a Boeing 767-300 converted freighter from Los Angeles to Guadalajara and on to Mexico City under a transport contract with DHL Express.

The new flight, which MasAir Cargo announced Friday, adds 50 tons of capacity to DHL Express Mexico’s network, which now consists of 12 domestic flights and 10 international flights.

DHL Express Mexico announced the new Asia-to-Mexico service in a Spanish-language news release two weeks ago.


The new flight reduces delivery times by up to one day. Shipments from Hong Kong are now transshipped in Los Angeles and arrive at Mexican destinations the same day rather than being flown to DHL’s regional hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and being reloaded on outbound evening flights. DHL Express also said the earlier arrival times make it easier for shipments to clear customs, improving delivery times to customers.

The new flight will create about 80 jobs within DHL Express and at external customs brokers, DHL said.

DHL Express has been expanding its airline operations this year, including a new route from Los Angeles to the U.K., with the boom in e-commerce sales and overall business interest in finding available air transportation to move goods.

Privately held MasAir’s new majority owner is Discovery Americas, a Mexican private equity firm.


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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com