The partnership was signed at the Bahrain International Airshow by ACN Group CEO, Marco Isaak, and Founder and Managing Director of MENA Aerospace, Dr Mohammed Juman.
Under the agreement, ACN will base 6 cargo aircraft in Bahrain and the GCC where it will serve the MENA region and cargo routes in and out of it.
ACN will be a shareholder with a 49% stake in MAE Aircraft Management, investing in capital, asset deployment, management services and expertise.
Isaak says, “We're incredibly proud of this historic milestone for Asia Cargo Network as we expand our operations into the MENA region. Our partnership with MAE is a testament to our commitment to excellence, and we look forward to cementing our reputation as a strong global player in the industry.”
Aircraft will be deployed over the next 18 months with the first ones, including a Boeing 737-800F and a B767-300F due to arrive in the next 2 months and to start operations immediately.
Juman says, “As part of our growth plan, over the past couple of years we looked at and analysed the regional markets to see where the growth is and where the gates are to the global markets. The growth and potential we saw is mainly in the GCC area, Africa and Southeast Asia. Our thought process was to try to link and serve these markets.”
The partnership will operate under the MENA Cargo brand and operations will be managed by ACN as it holds an Air Operator’s Certificate in Bahrain.