Air charter specialist Asia Cargo Network is looking to expand its operations into the Middle East and nearby markets as it partnered with Bahrain-based operator MENA Aerospace.

Under the agreement, ACN plans to base six of its cargo planes to operate in Bahrain and the GCC, which consists of Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

ACN will invest capital, asset deployment, management services and expertise and hold a 49 percent stake in subsidiary MAE Aircraft Management WLL.

The company said the deployment shall be over the next 18 months with the first of six aircraft to include a B737-800F and B767-300F due to arrive within the next two months.

Operations will be under the MENA Cargo brand, the freight cargo subsidiary of MAE. The company was established in 2020 and was awarded an air operator’s certificate (AOC) by Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs (CAA) department in 2021. Operations will be managed by ACN moving forward as it holds an AOC in Bahrain.

Dr Mohammed Juman, founder and Managing Director of MENA Aerospace, said the growth and potential the company saw is mainly in the GCC area, Africa and Southeast Asia.

“Our thought process was to try to link and serve these markets. ACN as the leading freight cargo operator in Southeast Asia was identified as the perfect partner for MAE to expand our services in these markets. ”

ACN provides air cargo charter services provider with a growing regional and international network in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and now the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. It owns three regional airlines, including Asia Cargo Airlines, World Cargo Airlines and RGA Airlines.