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interview

IT’S ABOUT CREATING

AN AIRLINE THAT’S AS

ADAPTABLE AS THE

MARKET WE SERVE

When MSC Air Cargo was formally launched in October
2022 it started with just five people and it was yet
to take delivery of the first of the four B777 freighters
that would eventually be operated by Atlas Air. Two
years later in October 2024, MSC Air Cargo boasts of a
team of 70 plus people and a robust network of four
B777 freighters operated by Atlas Air and a fifth B777F
operated under its own Air Operator's Certificate (AOC),
based in Milan, Italy. When MSC Mediterranean Shipping
Company planned the launch of a cargo airline in 2022,
the Geneva headquartered shipping giant appointed
Jannie Davel with the responsibility of building a brand
new cargo airline. Davel, who joined MSC as the senior
vice president for air cargo, has been promoted to be
the CEO of MSC Air Cargo on its second anniversary.
Speaking to Reji John in an exclusive interview for
The STAT Trade Times, Davel, who also completes
30 years in the air cargo industry this year, discusses
the pride in building a cargo airline that is nimble,
flexible, and resilient.

What is your self-assessment “perfect” time for something big, like hav-
of building a cargo airline from ing children. The same goes for creating a
scratch to a fully operational business of this scale—there’s never an ideal
one with five wide-body time when all conditions are perfect. Instead,
freighters for a global shipping it’s about being prepared, structured, and
company within just two years? committed to doing things properly, regard-
Building MSC Air Cargo from the ground up less of the external environment.
has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We didn’t wait for the market to be
It’s similar to how people say there’s no perfect or for all conditions to align; we
14 | OCTOBER 2024 www.stattimes.com