Avianca Cargo recently received its first Airbus A330 converted freighter and placed it with Mexican affiliate AeroUnion to cover routes in Colombia, Mexico and the United States as part of a fleet modernization plan.
The cargo division of Colombian flag carrier Avianca operates six factory-built A330-200 cargo jets and agreed in May 2022 to lease two A330-200 and two A330-300 from CDB Aviation, the Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank. The first passenger-to-freighter conversion is an 18-year-old A330-300 that saw duty with China Eastern Airlines for a dozen years and was temporarily used as an auxiliary freighter by SmartLynx Malta during the Covid crisis.
AeroUnion’s first commercial flight with the A330-300 freighter was on July 4. The aircraft, which is based at Felipe Angeles International Airport outside Mexico City, has operated so far between key manufacturing centers in Mexico, Los Angeles and Bogota, Colombia, according to flight activity visible on Flightradar24. Avianca Group essentially considers AeroUnion its Mexican operation because of its large investment and minority rights in AeroUnion through subsidiary Tampa Cargo.
Executives say the aircraft will help meet growing transportation demand in Latin and Central America, which represents about 2.5% of the air cargo market. E-commerce has been a major driver for air cargo in the region. Air cargo volumes in Latin America are up 4% year over year, lagging other parts of the world.
The addition to AeroUnion’s fleet will transport perishable products such as fruit and flowers, automotive components, mining and oil equipment, as well as e-commerce and parcel shipments for both partners.
Avianca Cargo plans to replace AeroUnion’s five aging freighters with the four A330s, which are being converted for CDB Aviation by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH, a joint venture between Airbus and Singapore’s ST Engineering. The three remaining aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by mid-2025.
The A330 now in service replaced one of AeroUnion’s two aging Boeing 767-200 freighters The Mexican carrier also operates an Airbus A300-600 and recently retired two other A300s. Management said during an April 30 earnings call with analysts that updating the fleet with the A330 converted freighters will improve operating efficiency by 10 points per aircraft.
“The A330 is an ideal aircraft due to its higher volumetric capacity and lower environmental impact, attributed to enhanced fuel efficiency per ton,” said Diogo Elias, the head of Avianca Cargo, in a news release. The A330-300 offers 60% more capacity than the 767-200 converted freighter.
Avianca’s cargo revenue decreased 8.3% to $152 million in the first quarter, which the company attributed to lower rates resulting from rival Latam Airlines creating overcapacity in the market. In 2023, the airline generated 21% less cargo revenue than the prior year. The drop off was less severe than at other airlines that also were impacted by the global downturn in airfreight volumes.
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