MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company plans to set up a new cargo airline as a complementary service to its container shipping solutions.
The new carrier MSC Air Cargo is expected to begin its commercial service in early 2023, with its first MSC-colored Boeing 777-200 freighter to be operated by Atlas Air.
The company said it has ordered a total of four Boeing 777-200 freighters. MSC has also revealed that MSC Air Cargo has already been under development for several months.
“This is our first step into this market and we plan to continue exploring various avenues to develop air cargo in a way that complements our core business of container shipping,” MSC CEO Soren Toft said.
The news comes a month after Italy selected a Certares-led consortium, backed by Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines, for talks on buying a majority stake in Italy’s ITA Airways, beating a rival bid by Germany’s Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) and MSC.
Founded in 1970, MSC is a privately owned transportation and logistics company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.