Teleport targets double-digit A321F fleet

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia-based Teleport, the logistics division of AirAsia parent Capital A, will begin commercial services with its first A321-200P2F this week as it sets its sights on building a fleet of up to ten Airbus narrowbody freighters in the next two years.

The 2001-vintage, CFM56-powered unit 1607 (ex-Galistair Malta), which arrived in Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at the end of June, will initially fly domestically before making its way to destinations like Hong Kong (HKG), Teleport Chief Executive Pete Chareonwongsak told Cargo Facts at a launch ceremony held Wednesday at the Sepang Aircraft Engineering facility at KUL.

Unit 1607 is the first of three A321P2Fs Teleport is leasing from BBAM. The second is the 1998-vintage unit 926 (ex-Aer Lingus), which is fully painted after conversion in Guangzhou (CAN) and will join the fleet in the next couple of months, Chareonwongsak said.

Units 1607 and 926 both will be based in Malaysia and operated under AirAsia’s Malaysian air operator certificate (AOC), while the third will be delivered in Q1 2024 and could join AirAsia’s Thai, Indonesian or Filipino AOCs, the company said in a statement.

But Teleport and AirAsia are not stopping there.

Teleport has set itself the target of adding as many as seven more A321 freighters in the next eighteen months, Chareonwongsak said, adding that Teleport’s freighter capacity adds to belly capacity on AirAsia’s overall fleet of more than 200 widebodies and narrowbodies.

AirAsia becomes the latest jet freighter operator in Malaysia, joining Raya Airways, which took delivery of its first A321-200P2F in April, Kargo Xpress, Malaysia Airlines, World Cargo Airlines and My Jet Xpress.

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