Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia―Teleport, the logistics venture seeded by Capital A Berhad (AirAsia), is acquiring more aircraft to strengthen its position as the market leader in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.
Pete Chareonwongsak, chief executive of Teleport, said the arrival of its first Airbus A321 Freighter aircraft into its air logistics fleet is a key for the company to continue and strengthen its dominant position in the region.
He said the new aircraft also allows the company to carry more, do more and cover more―by adding skidded capacity into its extensive air cargo network and having more control and flexibility to accommodate customers’ diverse needs.
“And with the first A321F based out of Kuala Lumpur, it is the perfect hub as its five-hour flight range gives it access to over 80 destinations across Southeast Asia and 80 more key cities in the Asia Pacific,” Chareonwongsak said.
The A321F with 24 containerized positions on both the main and lower deck can carry a payload of up to 27 tons of various cargo including e-commerce parcels, express or small parcels, large volume cargo and dangerous goods.
“Our number one route, our volume in the whole region is in the Philippines―Davao to Manila, so the Philippines is very, very important,” said Chareonwongsak.
Teleport serves the top 15 global freight forwarders as well as three of the largest marketplaces in Southeast Asia: Shopee, Lazada and Zalora.
Two other A321Fs are expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024, respectively. The aircraft will have the flexibility to be based out of Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta or Manila, leveraging Teleport’s multi-hub operating model.
Capital A chief executive Tony Fernandes said “the Philippines is where we see Teleport having very big operations, although AirAsia Philippines is currently handling all of Teleport’s work. Some of the ten aircraft we are discussing will be invested in the Philippines.”
“This is not only a testament to their hard work and dedication in the ever-challenging logistics industry, but a win for all of us at Capital A as it validates our diversification and growth strategy to be a value driven, low cost, high quality aviation and travel group,” he said.
“Our confidence in Teleport’s future grows stronger as we foster collaborations with other businesses under Capital A to not only position Teleport as a profitable and affordable player in the air logistics industry but also establish it as a reliable delivery partner for Capital A entities, such as the Superapp. Together, we are poised to unlock remarkable opportunities and deliver exceptional value to our customers.” With Darwin G. Amojelar