Southwest Airlines Co. recently announced its cargo service will begin shipping to Mexico in May pending government approval.
If approved, Southwest will ship to Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, Cancun, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta.
Additional international destinations are planned for later in the year.
The airline will ship e-commerce goods, pharmaceuticals, fresh foods, and seafood.
“By offering the cross-border services that our customers are looking for, we’re able to help meet the needs of businesses throughout the United States and, soon, in Mexico,” Matt Buckley, Southwest Airlines’ vice president of Cargo and Charters, said. “As we enter the international cargo market for the first time, customers will have more opportunities to experience the friendly and reliable service for which our cargo team is known.”
International cargo flights are made possible by the airline’s new Southwest Cargo Suite, an accounting and point-of-sale system that launches next month.
Southwest Airlines Cargo handles more than 3,900 domestic flights daily.
Cargo is a small portion of Southwest’s overall revenue. Last year, the cargo business earned $173 million in revenue, a 1.2 percent increase from 2016.
Southwest began international passenger service in 2014 and now offers flights to 10 nations. In 2017, the airline’s total revenue was $21.2 billion.