Startup Mexican airline Awesome Cargo, which provides dedicated aircraft and flight service to logistics companies and other customers, has taken delivery of its first fully capable freighter aircraft after operating two light-duty freighters since its inception 18 months ago.
Airbus affiliate Elbe Flugzeugwerke announced Tuesday it has completed the first conversion of an Airbus A330 passenger jet to cargo configuration for Air Lease Corp., which is leasing the plane to Awesome Cargo. The A330-200 converted by EFW is an ex-Alitalia airframe that was operated until last year by ITA Airways.
After some training flights on Wednesday, the aircraft will depart Dresden, Germany, for another facility where it will be painted, EFW spokeswoman Anke Lemke said in an email. Awesome couldn’t be reached by press time to determine a specific entry-into-service date, but the company is likely to carry out training and other procedures before flying commences later this summer.
Awesome Cargo, incorporated as TM Aerolineas S.A., currently leases two Airbus A330-200 aircraft that were temporarily modified with a Class E cargo compartment to carry light boxes in the main cabin. The partial modification, which is less capital-intensive than a full overhaul but quicker to complete, involved removing the seats and other cabin structures and adding a smoke detection system. The use of auxiliary passenger-freighters was common during the COVID crisis, when travel dried up and airlines yanked seats from some aircraft to take advantage of soaring cargo demand to earn revenue. Industry experts say the planes don’t make economic sense at normal cargo rates, especially when fuel prices are high, because the capacity is much less than a heavy-duty freighter and manually loading through the narrow cabin door is labor intensive.
Only one of Awesome’s aircraft is currently in service, according to Flightradar24 tracking data. Awesome and Air Lease plan to fully retrofit the two aircraft with a cargo door, reinforced floors and walls, and a cargo loading system so they can handle large containers on the main deck.
Based at Felipe Angeles International Airport outside Mexico City, Awesome Cargo operates twice weekly to China, via Los Angeles International Airport (returning via Seoul, South Korea, and Anchorage, Alaska), and to Latin America for e-commerce platforms and logistics providers. On May 6, it began a weekly service focused on perishable goods from Tijuana Airport in Mexico to Zhengzhou, China, under a contract with California-based ARC Global Logistics, according to a LinkedIn post. Flight data only shows two Tijuana-China flights so far.
The A330-200 converted freighter has a gross payload of 61 tons at a maximum range of 4,200 nautical miles. It is more suited for heavier, general cargo, whereas the A330-300 is the preferred choice for lighter e-commerce shipments because of its extra volume.
“We are adopting a strategic approach that balances fleet expansion with market demand and operational efficiency,” said Awesome Cargo CEO and founder Luis Ramos in the EFW news release.
Ramos previously held a senior management position at Mexican carrier Aerounion before taking over as CEO of Mexican ground handling and sales agent Aerocharter de Mexico in 2016. Aerocharter established a U.S. subsidiary at Los Angeles International Airport and then established Awesome Cargo. In 2024, Aerocharter formed a joint venture with PrimeFlight Aviation Services.
It typically takes about nine months to convert an A330 to cargo configuration. EFW has fallen behind schedule with A330 deliveries since 2023 because of labor, engine and supply chain challenges, as well as some management missteps. But all aircraft manufacturers and conversion shops are experiencing some level of delay these days for similar reasons.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
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