Anis Riahi, the CEO of Tunisian integrator Express Logistic-UPS, says the firm's planned new freight start-up, Express Air Cargo (7A, Tunis), is in the process of completing its certification with the Tunisian civil aviation authority (Office de l'Aviation Civile et des Aéroports - OACA) ahead of its planned launch in January next year.
Fleet-wise, the carrier will commence operations with a CRJ(F) and a B737 freighter before adding another CRJ(F), a B767 freighter and two Cessna (single turboprop) Grand Caravans in April. Thereafter, a second B767 freighter will arrive in September.
The aircraft will be leased with some to be sourced from partner, UPS Airlines (5X, Louisville International). While Riahi says the global logistics giant gave its consent to the project in September, officially, UPS says it "has not currently partnered with Express Logistics in Tunisia to create a new air company carrier."
Riahi said Morocco had lobbied for the project but ultimately it was Tunisia that was chosen. As such, Express Air Cargo plans to develop daily cargo flights to all fifty-one African capitals leveraging Tunisia - Enfidha in particular - as a transit hub to Europe.
