Swiftair

What Swiftair does

Swiftair, S.A. is a privately held Spanish airline founded in 1986 and headquartered in Madrid, operating a versatile fleet of approximately 60 aircraft ranging from small turboprop freighters (Metro III, Embraer 120) through ATR 42/72 variants to narrow-body jets (Boeing 737-300F/400F, Boeing 757-200F, and A321P2F passenger-to-freighter conversions). The company's core business is time-critical air cargo transport — overnight express flights, customized charters, and broker-coordinated services — serving global express logistics integrators including FedEx, DHL, and UPS, plus regional couriers such as Seur and Nacex, and United Nations humanitarian operations. Swiftair also provides passenger ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance), Wet Lease, Damp Lease, and full charter services through its own operating license and through the UEP!FLY sub-brand for inter-Balearic Islands routes, serving airlines such as Binter, Canary Fly, and Air Europa.

The company's technology stack centers on operational aviation assets: a proprietary ATR cargo conversion system enabling rapid passenger-to-freighter reconfiguration, an in-house EASA Part 145 approved maintenance organization at Madrid-Barajas, a certified Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) eliminating cockpit paperwork, and an internal CO2 emissions digitalization program. The group structure includes wholly owned subsidiaries West Atlantic (acquired 2019, European regional cargo), UEP!FLY (launched 2021), and Swiftair Hellas (Greece, founded 2000), plus a joint venture interest in Madeira Air Integrated Solutions (MAIS) formed in 2017.

Swiftair's business model is B2B transaction-based: cargo charter and passenger ACMI contracts are individually negotiated, quote-based, and structured as multi-year agreements with enterprise customers. Distribution combines direct commercial engagement (commercial department, sales manager Javier Bustillo) with GSA partners (Top Freight Solutions), broker networks (Bridges Worldwide for North Africa and Cyprus), and regional JVs (MAIS for Madeira, Mar de Vigo for West Africa). Revenue streams include cargo charter services, passenger charter/ACMI services, and fleet management/leasing. In October 2025, Antin Infrastructure Partners announced acquisition of a majority stake in Swiftair Group, positioning the company for accelerated fleet optimization and market consolidation in European time-critical cargo.

Name

Swiftair

Legal name

Swiftair, S.A.

Website

https://swiftair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Swiftair is a privately held Spanish airline operating a ~60-aircraft fleet for time-critical air cargo (serving FedEx, DHL, UPS) and passenger ACMI services (including UEP!FLY inter-Balearic flights), with operations across Europe and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Cargo Charter and ACMI Passenger Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Scheduled Air Transportation (48111), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Air Transportation (481)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

General Cargo Air Freight Carriers (Scheduled & Charter) (TLADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charter Air Freight Forwarding (Full/Part Charter, ACMI Brokerage) (TLACAAAC), ACMI / Wet-Lease Cargo Operators (THABAEAC), Group & ACMI Charter Airlines (Ad-hoc/Wet Lease) (TLAFABAC)

Keywords

• Cargo charter services
• ACMI wet lease
• Air freight transport
• Regional passenger flights
• Aircraft maintenance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cargo Charter Services: Time-critical cargo transport services including overnight express market operations, customized flights, and scheduled cargo routes between European and African destinations.
2. Passenger Charter and ACMI Services: ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance), Wet Lease, Damp Lease, and Full Charter services for passenger operations. Includes UEP!FLY inter-Balearic passenger flights.
3. Fleet Management and Leasing: Operating company-owned fleet and managing aircraft assets for time-critical delivery services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Swiftair is a Spanish airline operating a versatile fleet of approximately 60 aircraft (ATR, Embraer, Boeing, Airbus) to provide time-critical cargo transport services for the overnight express market, customized charter flights, and ACMI/Wet Lease/Damp Lease passenger services to regional airlines. The company also delivers EASA Part 145 approved aircraft maintenance for its own fleet and operates the UEP!FLY sub-brand for inter-Balearic Islands passenger connectivity.

Product overview

Swiftair is a Spanish airline company offering cargo and passenger air transport services. The company operates a versatile fleet of aircraft (ATR, Embraer, Boeing, Airbus) for cargo operations including regular flights, customized charter flights, and broker coordination, as well as passenger services under its own operating license and the UEP!FLY sub-brand for Balearic Islands routes. Swiftair also provides aircraft maintenance services through its EASA Part 145 approved organization, and holds dangerous goods training approval from Spanish authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UEP!FLY: Passenger airline service for inter-Balearic Islands flights, established in 2021 and based in the Balearic Islands.

Products and services

• Cargo Transport Services Air cargo transport services including regular overnight express flights, customized charter flights, and broker coordination services for time-critical deliveries across Europe, Africa, and island destinations. Serves express logistics integrators and freight forwarders.
• Passenger Transport Services Passenger air transport services operating ATR 72 aircraft under Swiftair's AESA Operating License A.18/95, offering ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance), Wet Lease, Damp Lease, and Full Charter arrangements to regional passenger airlines.
• UEP!FLY Passenger airline brand providing inter-Balearic Islands flights between Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, and Menorca, operated as a Swiftair sub-brand with a commitment to sustainability and island connectivity.
• Aircraft Maintenance Services EASA Part 145 approved maintenance services for the company's own aircraft fleet, located at Madrid-Barajas airport with line maintenance outstations along routes. Supports in-house technical capabilities across the multi-type fleet.
• ATR 72 Freighter Operations Regional turboprop freighter operations using ATR 72-200F/LCD/500F variants with 75m3 cargo volume and 8,000 kg max payload for time-critical overnight express and regional cargo routes.
• Boeing 737 Freighter Operations Narrow-body jet freighter operations using Boeing 737-300F/400F variants with 156 m3 cargo volume, 68,038 kg MTOW, and 450-knot cruise speed for high-capacity express cargo routes.
• Boeing 757 Freighter Operations Narrow-body jet freighter operations using Boeing 757-200F variant with 234 m3 cargo volume, 32,000 kg max payload, 99,790 kg MTOW, and 460-knot cruise speed for long-range cargo missions.
• A321P2F Freighter Operations Narrow-body jet freighter operations using A321-231 (P2F) variant with 207.8 m3 cargo volume, 27,000 kg max payload, and 93,000 kg MTOW for efficient narrow-body cargo capacity.
• Embraer 120 Freighter Operations Regional turboprop freighter operations using Embraer 120 variants with 32.8 m3 cargo volume, 3,500 kg max payload, and 11,990 kg MTOW for small-payload regional cargo services.
• Metro III Freighter Operations Small regional turboprop freighter operations using Metro III variant with 17.73 m3 cargo volume, 2,000 kg max payload, and 7,265 kg MTOW for small-payload time-critical deliveries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.7% regularity and 99.3% on-time performance during peak periods
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, regional, core and strategic.

• DHLmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2018Major charter contract awarded to Swiftair for operation of 2x ATR72F aircraft from Budapest airport to Romanian destinations including Cluj and Timisoara. Start date April 2, 2018 for indefinite period.
• Madeira Air Integrated Solutions (MAIS)regionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2017Joint venture with ALS Aviation & Logistics Solutions and LOGINSULAR managing daily ATR72F route between Lisbon and Funchal in Madeira Island. Gives Swiftair self-handling license at Lisbon airport from Portuguese civil aviation authority (ANAC).
• West AtlanticcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiftair Group acquired West Atlantic, a subsidiary strengthening the group's position in the European regional cargo market.
• UEP!FLYcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReference partner for regular inter-Balearic passenger flights. Company established during COVID-19 pandemic with commitment to sustainability and connectivity for Balearic Islands.
• Bridges WorldwidestrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFlight coordination centre partner handling North Africa operations (Marseille-Tunis, Marseille-Algiers, Madrid-Casablanca) and Cyprus routes. Contact: [email protected], based in Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Mar de VigoregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional partner managing West Africa cargo operations connecting Canary Islands to Senegal (DKR) and Mauritania (NKC, NDB). Mobile: +34 619 074 173.
• Top Freight SolutionsstrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive GSA (General Sales Agent) for Balearic Islands cargo flights from Madrid and Barcelona. Located at C/ India 4, naves 4 y 5, 28042 Madrid. Contact: María Martínez, [email protected].
• FedExmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor customer partner for time-critical cargo operations. Awarded FedEx BZ award for 2 consecutive years with 99.7% regularity and 99.3% on-time performance standards. Made 395 flights during peak 2017 period.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Ethiopian Cargo: One of the largest scheduled all-cargo carriers globally, operating B777 freighters across an extensive Africa-Europe-Asia network. Overlaps with Swiftair on Europe-Africa cargo routes and integrator capacity partnerships, but at meaningfully larger scheduled scale.
• Cargojet: Canadian scheduled all-cargo carrier and ACMI provider to integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS) with a broader scheduled network and B767/B757 freighter fleet. Comparable integrator customer base and ACMI model, but operates primarily scheduled North American routes at a larger scale.

Direct peers

• Western Global Airlines: US-based cargo ACMI operator providing B777 and B737 freighter capacity to integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS). Direct competitor in integrator ACMI with similar aircraft mix and customer concentration profile.
• MNG Airlines: Turkish cargo airline operating A300 and B737 freighters, including express integrator contracts and charter flights across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Closely mirrors Swiftair's cargo ACMI model serving integrators in overlapping Europe–Africa corridor.
• ASL Airlines Ireland / ASL Airlines UK: European cargo ACMI and charter operator flying Boeing 737 freighters and providing wet-lease services to integrators (Amazon, DHL) across Europe. Directly comparable to Swiftair in aircraft type, customer base (integrators), and ACMI/charter business model.
• Astral Aviation: Kenya-based cargo charter and ACMI operator serving intra-Africa and Europe-Africa routes for integrators and humanitarian organizations. Comparable to Swiftair's West Africa and North Africa cargo charter operations, including humanitarian/UN-adjacent missions.
• Bluebird Nordic: Iceland-based cargo ACMI operator flying B737 freighters for integrators including DHL and Amazon. Same cargo ACMI / integrator contract model as Swiftair, with a focused narrow-body freighter fleet.
• SmartLynx Airlines: Latvia-based ACMI/wet-lease and charter airline operating A320 family and B737 freighters for integrators and passenger airlines across Europe, Africa and Asia. Closely aligned with Swiftair's ACMI/wet-lease business across similar geographies and aircraft types.
• Air Atlanta Icelandic: Iceland-headquartered ACMI and wet-lease operator serving integrators and passenger airlines with B747 and B777 freighters and passenger aircraft. Comparable to Swiftair's ACMI/wet-lease model at a larger widebody scale, serving the same integrator and airline customer base.

Regional players

• Canaryfly: Spanish regional passenger airline operating inter-Canary Islands routes. Comparable to Swiftair's UEP!FLY inter-Balearic passenger operations and a current customer of Swiftair's ACMI services; similar regional island-connectivity use case.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swiftairsa

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swiftair