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focused on building a solid foundation from the power of shared ambition that we’ve
day one. Our goal was to create a resilient come this far in such a short time.
and adaptable airline, able to face headwinds,
rather than just benefiting from tailwinds. In We expect steady growth What do you consider the
just two years, we’ve grown to five wide- biggest hit and the biggest miss
body freighters, operating globally—a in capacity, but our for MSC Air Cargo in the two
significant achievement. primary aim for 2025 years of its life?
One of the key lessons from the pandemic is to focus on building One of the challenges we faced—like many
was the importance of partnerships and col- other carriers—was the delay in aircraft
laboration. We leaned on our stakeholders, operational efficiency deliveries from their manufacturer, which
whether they were suppliers, regulatory bod- and enhancing our compressed our commercial schedule and
ies, or industry partners, to help us build this service offering rather forced us to recalibrate. Initially, our flight
airline. The challenges we encountered actu- schedule didn’t go as planned, which led to
ally solidified those relationships, allowing us than aggressively the need to make some quick adjustments.
to create something not only operationally expanding fleet size. This could easily be seen as a "miss," given
sound but also built for the long term. It’s a the operational challenges that came with it.
testament to the strength of our vision and However, I also see it as a key turning point.
The delays forced us to take on additional
capacity to cover our immediate needs, and
this decision actually allowed us to optimize
our schedule for 2024. What started as a set-
back ended up being a valuable opportunity
to refine our strategy for the future. We were
able to learn from those early challenges, re-
calibrate our operations, and set ourselves up
for a more streamlined and efficient schedule
going forward.
So, in many ways, this was both a hit and
a miss—while things didn’t go as planned
initially, the steps we took to address those
issues helped us build a stronger foundation
for the years ahead. Our ability to quickly
adapt, recalibrate, and plan for future deliver-
ies means that we were in a better position
to optimize our routes and capacity moving
into 2024.
Is there a plan to structurally
reorganise MSC Air Cargo as you
enter the next growth phase,
focusing on building a reliable
network, robust operational
framework, and prudent
business and commercial
strategies?
Our approach has always been driven by
market demand and the needs of our clients.
Flexibility is key—being able to adapt quickly
to what our customers need, following point-
to-point solutions or tailored offerings, is a
cornerstone of our strategy.
We’re currently in the post-acquisition im-
plementation phase following the rebranding
of AlisCargo to MSC Air. This phase involves
aligning our operations, culture, and strategy
to ensure we can deliver on our long-term
Jannie Davel, CEO, MSC Air Cargo

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