Teleport officially inducted its first Airbus A321 Freighter (A321F) aircraft into its air logistics fleet.
The logistics venture seeded by Capital A Berhad — formerly AirAsia Group — said the freighter is set to strengthen Teleport's position as the market leader in terms of most air cargo volume by tonnage across Southeast Asia, as certified by the World ACD.
The logistics company noted that it had seen accelerated growth in the last 24 months, which led to its market leadership position in Southeast Asia.
Teleport was founded five years ago in May 2018 and sought to become the number one air cargo provider in Southeast Asia.
"This growth was driven by its three unique advantages; operating the largest air logistics network in Southeast Asia using the surplus belly space of 204 wide-and narrow-body AirAsia passenger aircraft, a focus on full digitisation and data to coordinate end-to-end e-commerce deliveries, and the continuous addition of deep third-party airline relationships," Teleport said.
It added that currently, over 1,500 businesses use the services of Teleport to move their goods to over 80 destinations in Southeast Asia, using one digital Airway Bill, and with a guarantee that "it arrives tomorrow."
"We saw our growth accelerate in the past 24 months, where we have scaled a company that is profitable and on track to generate US$200M in annual revenues — it is fitting to celebrate these milestones on the same day as the arrival of the first of three A321Fs this year," said Pete Chareonwongsak, chief executive officer (CEO) of Teleport.
Teleport noted that inducting its first A321-F has been a collective effort by multiple entities within the Capital A Group, enabling Teleport to leverage one fleet, one crew and one ecosystem to deliver "best in class and best-in-cost freighter operations."
Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A Berhad, the investment holding company of Teleport, said the induction of the first A321F into Teleport's fleet is not only a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team in the ever-challenging logistics industry but is also a win for Capital A.
"[It is] also 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," Fernandes said, signalling confidence in the future growth of Teleport as it seeks to become a profitable and affordable player in the air logistics industry.
For his part, Chareonwongsak added that the A321Fs are "key for us to continue and strengthen our dominant position in Southeast Asia"
"It will allow us to carry more, do more and cover more — by adding skidded capacity into our extensive air cargo network and having more control and flexibility to accommodate our customers' diverse needs. And with the first A321F based out of Kuala Lumpur, it is the perfect hub as its 5-hour flight range gives it access to over 80 destinations across Southeast Asia and 80 more key cities in the Asia Pacific," the Teleport CEO added.
Teleport's A321-F, with 24 containerised positions on both the main and lower deck (14 ULDs in Main Deck + 10 ULDs in Lower Deck), enables it to carry a maximum payload of 27 tons/ 27,000 kgs of various cargo, including e-commerce parcels, express/small parcels, large volume cargo, and dangerous goods among others.
Teleport said the 2nd and 3rd A321-Fs, due to be delivered in Q4 2023 and Q1 2024, respectively, will have the flexibility to be based out of Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, or Manila, leveraging Teleport's multi-hub operating model.
The induction of Teleport's first A321F aircraft was attended by His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah.