From the Cockpit with LAS Cargo’s Thorin

Colombia-based Lineas Aereas Suramericanas (LAS Cargo) introduced its first 737 in 2019 with a -300F and until recently flew it alongside its four 727-200Fs, but the carrier later added its first 737-400 in December 2021 as part of a broader plan to gradually step away from the trijets. Cargo Facts spoke with LAS Cargo CEO Maurice Thorin, who was appointed in August 2021, about his vision for the carrier and prospects for the Latin American market. [caption id="attachment_56725526" align="alignright" width="420"] LAS Cargo CEO Maurice Thorin (Photo/LAS Cargo)[/caption] Cargo Facts : What are your priorities and objectives for LAS Cargo? Maurice Thorin: We have a business plan moving forward, which is divided into stages. The first is between 2023 and 2024, where we’re going to focus on consolidating our fleet with our renewal plan. We’re also going to focus on the consolidation of our network. In the third stage, we’re going to develop our current base at Bogota Airport with a stronger contract and long-term relationship with the airport in order to maintain our almost 20,000 square meters of infrastructure for our cargo and MRO operations. We have already started our fleet transition, going from the 727-200 to the 737. We already have two 737 aircraft operating in our fleet, and we’re going to move forward with this transition to have around four 737-400s plus three or four 737-800s by the end of 2026. We’re incorporating another 737-400 later this year and will add another in the first quarter of 2023. We are going to maintain two 727 Supers for now. We have already sold a couple of 727-200s and hope to have another one sold by the end of 2022 and probably another one next year. CF : How will you develop your network? MT: Between 2024 and 2026, we’re going to have a period of network expansion with a more robust fleet. We’re aiming to have operational hubs not only in Bogota, but also in a major airport in Central America or the Caribbean and in the southern cone of South America. The focus of our network coverage right now is all of South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Our plan during these next four or five years does not focus on flying into the United States or Europe — flowers into Miami, for example — because it’s a market that is already well served. It’s also a market where we would need long-haul widebody aircraft. We’re most focused on growing the regional market and the first and last legs of our strategic partners, which are intercontinental long-haul operators. Our dream is to have a very well-covered network of flights in this region to be the strategic ally for long-haul passenger and cargo carriers, freight forwarders and GSAs. CF : From your perspective, what's the general outlook for the Central and Latin American market? MT: Most of the long-haul airlines do fly into the major hubs like Panama City, Santo Domingo, Mexico City, Quito and Bogota, but to and from other airports in the south they need smaller cargo aircraft to feed and de-feed them. They need that first leg and last leg of connection. Large carriers have belly capacity in passenger aircraft coming from Europe into the Caribbean that must be filled with cargo going not only to the Caribbean but to South America, too. Due to the huge changes in shipping, we’re not going to have fees on containers and transportation that are as low as before COVID. We need to be prepared to cover and support some of the market that depended on ship transportation. There is no specialized cargo carrier in the region that is able to provide feeder support, e-commerce capacity and interline partnerships in the region. Brazil is a bit different and ahead of the rest of the continent; they are independent and self-sufficient inside Brazil, but the rest of South America is very, very poorly served by these types of feeder connections and short-haul interline routes. That’s why we have to decentralize and not just concentrate our operations in Bogota. CF : In trying to sell your 727s, what kind of demand are you seeing? MT: We recently sold one of our 727-200s to Solar Cargo in Venezuela, and at the moment we are under negotiations on the others to different companies. We’re seeing interest from everywhere: Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America, even North America. We have been getting requests from parties all over the world. It’s a shame not being able to use the 727 for a few more years. We all love this aircraft. It’s a beautiful aircraft but, unfortunately, it’s very difficult to maintain right now. It is very hard to find the different components and spare parts. Fuel consumption is very high, and when you are starting to transition a charter airline into regularly scheduled service, there are many more block hours per aircraft and tight schedules, and you need good on-time performance. Meeting these obligations with an aircraft that is not very reliable due to maintenance is very challenging. A lot of time and money is lost. So now is a good time for the transition. I would say that the 727 aircraft that we currently have in our fleet are the best aircraft in the market. We have, I think, one of the only MRO facilities in the world that specializes in 727s, bringing decades of expertise in them complemented by the manpower in our company that is extremely knowledgeable and capable of maintaining these aircraft in airworthy condition. They’re going to be very good assets for their future operators. Hopefully, we can keep maintaining them if they remain in the region. We will miss the 727, but it’s time to implement our own strategy of expansion and make the transition. This story originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Cargo Facts. Join Air Cargo World and Cargo Facts as we put technology in focus at the 2022 Air Cargo Tech Summit. Taking place June 6-7 in Miami, this new event will provide participants with the foundation for technological improvement in airfreight logistics. Learn more and register .

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