Expanded trade relationships and a growing industrial base serve as a catalyst for Mexican air freight growth.

One of Mexico’s major newspapers, El Financiero, recently reported that for the first time in three years the following five Mexican air freight carriers have transported more international cargo to and from Mexico than their US counterparts:

  • Aeroméxico
  • AeroUnion
  • Estafeta
  • Mas Air
  • Volaris

According to information supplied by Mexico’s Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil, or the country’s General Direction of Civil Aeronautics, the five aforementioned Mexican air freight carriers have, thus far in 2015, transported more goods than ten US providers of the same service combined. Among the US shipping service providers that were examined are:

  • Abx
  • Alaska Airlines
  • American Airlines
  • American Eagle
  • Amerijet International
  • Atlas Air
  • Delta Airlines
  • Fedex
  • United Airlines
  • UPS

Since January of the present year, the total weight of the goods transported by Mexican air freight companies has been registered at 143.6 million lbs. This amount slightly exceeds the aggregate143.5 million lbs. shipped by the ten US companies.

The subdirector of statistics of Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport, Ernesto Lopez, attributes the performance of Mexican air cargo carriers to recent efforts that have been made to modernize the country’s shipping fleet, as well as to improve its connectivity. Additionally, he ascribes the increase in Mexican air freight to the fact that Mexico has the advantage,as  one of the world’s leading exporting nations, to have a prodigious network of bi-lateral free trade agreements with commercial partners worldwide.

Three Mexican air freight companies are responsible for having transported 98% of the shipped goods in and out of the country since last January. The breakdown is as follows:

  • AeroUnion with 48.5 million lbs.
  • Mas Air with 46.2 million lbs.
  • Aeroméxico with 44.1 million lbs.

According to Miguel Angel Valero, president of the Mexican Pilot’s Association, or Colegio de Pilotos Aviadores, one of the factors that has contributed to the growth in the volume of international Mexican air freight is the fact that the frequency of international shipment by Mexican carriers to and from Mexico has come to exceed that of that of US air cargo service providers. In additional comments, Valero also pointed out that Mexican companies have made themselves more competitive over the course of the last decade, have expanded their commercial relations with Europe, Asia and countries in neighboring Latin America and have all increased investment in new aircraft and other capital equipment.