Cargo Three, based in Panama and a subsidiary of the Venezuelan airline Transcarga International Airways, plans to start its regular flights by the end of 2024 with three McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30 Freighters (F) previously operated by FedEx Express.

According to Cargo Fact, the parent company and investor of both airlines, JMB Aviation Group, plans to acquire a fourth MD-10 that will go to the Venezuelan airline.

Cargo Three received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aeronautics Authority of Panama in May 2021. It was supposed to receive an Airbus A300B4-203(F) that was previously operated by Aerounion, but due to reasons beyond the company’s control, the model was ultimately discarded.

See also: Panamanian airline UniWorld Air Cargo will replace its Boeing 727 with Boeing 737 Classic

The company intends to use Miami (MIA), United States, as its operations center to fly to Panama City (PTY), Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), Lima (LIM), Santiago de Chile (SCL), Manaus (MAO), and Campinas/Viracopos (VCP).

A second base will operate as a cargo transshipment center with Venezuela from Tocumen International Airport (PTY), Panama City, offering flights to Caracas (CCS), Barcelona (BLA), Maracaibo (MAR), Porlamar (PMV), and Valencia (VLN) operated through Transcarga.

The first MD-10, almost ready

One of the MD-10-30 (F) ex-FedEx, registered as N311FE, 48 years old, has been in the maintenance workshops of Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (BAQ), in Barranquilla, Colombia, since February 2, 2024, where various maintenance tasks have been carried out over the past four months, after spending two years in the California desert.

Once delivered, it will become the second civil operator to currently fly with the MD-10 in the world, alongside Transporte Aéreo Boliviano (TAB Cargo), which has one registered as CP-2791 and primarily flies regularly from Miami to Bolivia, in addition to performing some charter services in South America.

Twelve DC-10s continue to fly with the analog cockpit and operate as the in-flight refueling version, mostly known as KC-10, for the USAF and Omega Aerial Refueling Services. Four DC-10s were modified to fight fires for 10 Tanker. Lastly, one DC-10 flies for Orbis as a flying hospital known as the «Flying Eye Hospital».

The last passenger DC-10 was retired in February 2014, which operated for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, replacing it with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.