Four questions for Luis Sierra, mas CEO

1)    From your perspective, what is the key to mas’ success?      

I think mas’ success can be summed up in the following ways:

- Maximizing the benefits of being a major operator in the region with an impeccable safety record.

- Defining a business plan with clear growth goals and strategies in line with our potential, within a given period.

- Achieving effective goal execution with the support of our strategic partner has not only provided us with financial resources but also with brain power.

- Undertaking corporate restructuring and recruiting skilled and committed professionals eager to shape a new aviation success story.

- Being focused on our goals and being environmentally friendly (stakeholders).

- And finally… a bit of luck!

2)    What are mas’ growth plans to enter new markets and fly to new routes?

Our five-year Business Plan, designed in 2019, shows our goal for smart growth in the scheduled air cargo markets of our region and a better defined approach to business models as ACMI services outside our borders.

At the end of 2018, mas only operated one freighter and had a workforce of 94 employees that generated $50 million in annual sales. By the end of this year we expect sales near $155 million with eight freighters and over 400 employees.

To our scheduled routes, including Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico, Guadalajara, Quito and Bogota, last year we added Lima, San José (Costa Rica) y Campinas (São Paulo) in Brazil.

In 2018 mas signed one ACMI agreement. This year we expect to reach four ACMI engagements including services to three regions (America, China and Europe) simultaneously.

With all this, mas will generate between 1,600 and 1,800 indirect jobs in the coming years.

In the light of the above, mas’ Business Plan aims to have 18 freighters by 2024.

3)    How does mas describe the Mexican cargo market?

Mexico’s international and national markets mainly focus on four developing areas: consumer goods, automotive, perishable transport and e-commerce. it does not differ much from the rest of the American region, so the strength and commercial activity are the most reliable indicators to understand the potential these markets may have.Connectivity, regional carriers’ networks, as well as the most dynamic countries’ growth rates will determine the new regional opportunities.

4)    How will the A330P2F help mas expansion plans?

We are determined to be a major industry player focused on the three continents. We planned a steady growth to meet the needs of the industry. Today air cargo requires greater capacity and more efficient, sustainable and, of course, safer operations.

Thanks to our restructuring and growth strategies, mas was the launch operator – and will be one of the few carriers in the world – of both A330P2F versions, each for a specific mission.

The Airbus A330 Freighter Family offers highly-efficient operation and outstanding flexibility based on the proven and technologically-advanced A330 platform. With a payload of 61 tonnes and a range up to 4,200 nm, the A330 offers lower operating costs per tonne than its nearest competitor to meet our growth plans with longer routes improving cost-efficiency. 

Both versions together will boost our network by 150 percent and our ACMI services by 300 percent by the end of 2022. The A330-300 will serve destinations to Europe and the Americas, while the A330-200 will be deployed in new scheduled routes to China.