Royal Air becomes Philippines’ first A321F operator

Royal Air Philippines is set to become the first carrier in the country and the third in Southeast Asia to fly an Airbus narrowbody freighter. A pair of ex-SmartLynx A321-200PCFs that the Chinese state-owned entity Nanning Communications Investment Group has placed with Royal Air will begin flying July 28 between Nanning, China (NNG), and Clark, Philippines (CRK), according to Clark International Airport. [caption id="attachment_57290420" align="aligncenter" width="867"] The two A321PCFs wear a hybrid livery. (Courtesy/Clark International Airport)[/caption] The two freighters had been on lease to SmartLynx from Cross Ocean Partners. Both V2500-powered A321PCFs ended ACMI operations for DHL Express in Europe at the end of January, with the 2001-vintage unit 1487 arriving in Haikou, China (HAK), on May 1 and the 2004-vintage unit 2303 following on May 8. After receiving a hybrid Nanning-Royal Air paintjob and Philippines registration at HAK, unit 1487 arrived at CRK this month and was on display there during a July 16 ceremony. Unit 2303 also wears the hybrid livery but is still at HAK. A321Fs broaden reach in Southeast Asia Nanning Communications Investment said in May that it had invested in the A321 freighter platform as part of a plan to establish a logistics hub at NNG and that it hoped to begin service with unit 1487 in June to Southeast Asia. Royal Air Philippines is partially owned by China-based Lanmei Group and has two passenger A320s in service. Apart from the Philippines, Malaysia is the only country in Southeast Asia that is home to A321 freighters: AirAsia operates three A321-200P2Fs for logistics affiliate Teleport ; and Raya Airways has two A321-200PCFs and one -200P2F. With Cebu Pacific having removed its two ATR 72-500Fs from service in 2023, the only active freighter operators in the country have been SEAir International and Skyway Airlines , which entered the market in 2024. Cargo Facts Symposium, the quintessential event for stakeholders and key leaders in the global freighter and air cargo industries, will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville . Learn more and register today to take advantage of the early-bird rate.

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