Global Crossing Airlines and CubaMax have signed an agreement to operate cargo flights between the United States and Cuba.
The airline will operate the flights with Airbus A321F aircraft, the freighter version of the A321 for which it is the first operator in the Americas. The debut is scheduled for February 21 with a frequency of two flights a week between Miami and Havana.
«We are the first airline in the Americas to operate the A321F and we believe this aircraft is well suited to provide this much needed life line service to Havana,» said Ed Wegel, president and CEO of Global Crossing Airlines. «We are delighted to be working with CubaMax,» he added.
This news comes a day after the US Federal Aviation Administration granted GlobalX approval to carry cargo with A321F aircraft.
See also: Global Crossing Airlines receives FAA approval to carry cargo on Airbus A321 P2F aircraft
The airline currently has one A321F and expects to take delivery of another in mid-March, with a third to be delivered in May and three more to follow in 2023 and two in 2024.
In addition, Global Crossing is working to finalise leases for five more A321F aircraft to be delivered in 2024-2025 and signing letters of intent for two additional aircraft.
The A321 P2F offers a capacity of fourteen containers on the upper deck and ten on the lower deck, representing 55% more container volume than the Boeing 737-800 freighter and 14% more than the Boeing 757-200 freighter.
It also has an estimated 19% lower fuel burn than the Boeing 757-200 freighter, positioning the A321 P2F as a dominant player in the narrowbody cargo market.
CubaMax is a US Office of Foreign Assets Control approved operator with 14 offices in the state of Florida. It was founded in 2001 and has become a market leader in cargo and travel between the United States and Cuba.
