NEW FLEET - US's GLOBALX adds first A319, bets on more A321 freighters

GLOBALX (G6, Miami International) is set to add its first A319-100 after N285GX (msn 1936) was ferried for final maintenance at Lakeland on July 14, 2023 ahead of its handover next week. The 20-year-old jet will deliver in its original configuration, seating up to 132 passengers, in which it operated for its previous operator, Air Mauritius (MK, Mauritius). However, GLOBALX plans to reconfigure it into a single-class VIP layout.

"This airplane should have been delivered about six months ago. Its continuous delays are because of various supply chain issues. Once we get it onto our certificate, it will be converted for a period of time this winter into a VIP configuration with 68 seats. And this airplane is already almost fully booked up on its. [Its configuration] will make an excellent airplane for many of the sports teams that we fly," Chief Executive Ed Wegel said during an investor briefing.

The A319 joins seven A320-200s and three A321-200. The ACMI/charter specialist plans to focus on the A320 type in the coming months, with two more already contracted from lessors for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2024. The aircraft operate a mix of charter and ACMI flights, with Europe an attractive market for the latter. Demand for ACMI is partially fuelled by manufacturer delays, which has forced carriers to resort to third-party capacity to meet summer demand, Wegel said.

However, the main thrust of the airline's fleet expansion will come from cargo for which GLOBALX currently operates A321-200(P2F) and one A321-200(PCF). It expects to take four more converted A321-200s by the end of this year. Cargo Facts reported that the carrier has signed Letters of Intent for two more converted A321s due during the first half of 2024, increasing its freighter fleet to eight jets.

Wegel said the A321's superior economics and payload capabilities over its two rivals, the converted B737-800 and the B757 freighter, has made GLOBALX very bullish about its cargo prospects.

One of the two active freighters is currently flying Salt Lake City-Newark charters, while the other is dedicated to serving the Miami International-Central America and the Caribbean market.

"We're flying regularly now to take cargo to Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, as well as to the Eastern Caribbean. We've got a full slate of flights to Port of Spain, Barbados, St. Lucia, and Guyana. This business will continue to increase for us. I foresee the number [of aircraft] that we have assigned to the Caribbean will increase next year. I would project that we will have three freighters operating almost full-time in the Caribbean by this time next year," Wegel said.

He revealed that the airline currently has firm contracts for six freighters, including two operating for the US government and one each for Ascent Global Logistics, freight forwarders to Central America, the Caribbean, and one to be placed with GlobalX Colombia (Bogotá). Wegel expects the certification in Colombia to finish by late September or October 2023.

"That aircraft will fly from Latin America into the US, with Latin pilots, which will ease some of the pressure our pilot foresee here in the US. But we see that business growing. A number of airlines in Latin America have approached us about flying that airplane for them. And I think that that number will increase from one to three airplanes over the next 12 to 18 months," Wegel said.

GLOBALX plans to retain one freighter as a spare.

"Two of the freighters that we'll be getting over the next several months have already been converted to freighters, which means that we've eliminated those potential built-in delays," he said.

With the recent USD35 million funding round from Axar Capital, GLOBALX has the capital required to fully implement its fleet plan for the coming months, Wegel said.

CH Aviation