GlobalX continues air cargo investments with A321 lease and confirms A330F future focus
15 / 06 / 2022
Credit: tratong/ Shutterstock
Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) has signed the second of four planned operating leases for Airbus A321 aircraft with Greenwich Highland Aviation to use in its Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) programme.
GHA arranged the acquisition of the aircraft (MSN 1953) from an entity it manages. The aircraft will commence conversion in July 2022, and will enter service with GlobalX by January 2023.
“We are delighted to sign our second lease from our original agreement for four A321 freighters with Greenwich Highland Aviation. Our first A321F from GHA is expected to deliver in September 2022, and we look forward to receiving the second freighter by the end of 2022. Our XCargo division is moving forward quickly, with our first A321F dedicated to fly for Avianca,” said Ed Wegel, chair and chief executive of GlobalX.
“We are proud to be supplying GlobalX with additional A321P2F freighter aircraft as they develop their fleet and cargo operations,” said Stuart Peebles, principal of Greenwich Highland Aviation.
Earlier this month, GlobalX also signed an MoU with Chinese e-commerce logistics provider FreightCloud to develop e-commerce cargo routes between China and the US, with onward distribution across the Americas.
The joint service using Airbus A321 freighters is expected to begin in early 2023, although GlobalX hasn’t confirmed which leased aircraft will be used. The joint service will move to A330Fs later that year. FreightCloud’s financial partner Hudson Highland Partners will provide financing for the collaboration.
Wegel explained: “The A330 freighter is in our long-term business plan. The availability of 330 freighters is very tight, however, and we do not think we could get a 330F before late 2023 at the very earliest. In the meantime, we will fly 321 freighters for Freight Cloud from the US within the Americas.”
GlobalX has traditionally been a passenger ACMI and charter airline serving the US, Caribbean, and Latin American markets, but has been investing in P2F aircraft to move into the cargo market. In October 2020, GlobalX announced plans to lease 10 converted Airbus A321 freighters from Vallair, while in May 2021 it signed a LOI to lease five A321s with ST Engineering’s Aviation Asset Management unit.
In March this year, GlobalX signed an order for the long-term lease of two Airbus A321 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) aircraft from Petrus Aerovista A321 Holdings LLC, a joint venture between Aerovista and Petrus Aviation.
GlobalX and FreightCloud collaborate on Asia–US–America e-commerce routes
