Mercury Air Cargo is facing unprecedented growth as it moves into the fourth quarter, according to President and Chief Operating Officer John Peery, and there are no signs of the growth slowing down.

“Typically, the fourth quarter is our busiest as we enter the holiday rush. But everything has started even earlier, and we are handling 30% more cargo than what we were handling pre-COVID,” says Peery.

The growth in commerce has led to ad hoc charters turning in scheduled flights all the way through 2023, which Peery says is unheard of.

During the first six months of the year, MAC handled 35% of all air cargo at LAX.

“We have an amazing market presence at LAX and I’m proud of all staff who are working during busy conditions. Without our dedicated personnel, we wouldn’t get through the challenges and keep our reputation for outstanding reliability.”

The vast growth in cargo has led to MAC’s new facility becoming oversubscribed so Peery is looking forward to their new 60,000 square foot facility opening in December. The challenge is real though. At this time, there is 50% more cargo coming in than the airport’s storage space is designed to handle.

“The new facility will definitely ease the pressure, but it is not a permanent solution. Currently, with commerce growing off the charts, the supply chain is becoming clogged.”

“We have to give our customers the best service possible, so we need to manage resources during these exciting times”