Startup cargo airline 7Air changes CEO after 7 months of service

Miami-based startup cargo airline 7Air LLC has named aviation veteran Edward Wegel as CEO just seven months after launching commercial operations, according to a copy of an internal memo notifying employees of the decision and shared with FreightWaves.

7Air also announced on LinkedIn the promotion of Juan Nunez to chief operating officer and point person to the Federal Aviation Administration on compliance matters. He previously served as director of flight operations.

7Air has a fleet of four Boeing 737-800 converted freighters on lease, mostly serving the Caribbean and Central America. The company is owned by The Xtreme Group, which also has aircraft and engine maintenance subsidiaries in South Florida.

“Edward brings extensive leadership experience within the aviation industry, along with a proven track record of building and scaling airline operations. His strategic vision and operational expertise will be instrumental as we continue advancing toward establishing 7Air as a leading specialized cargo airline,” said Katheryne Salce, a human resources specialist at The Xtreme Group, in the message to company staff members.

Wegel is a serial aviation entrepreneur who was founder and CEO of Miami-based startup Global Crossing Airlines, a passenger and air charter cargo company that entered commercial service in 2021. He was terminated in 2024 in part because he tried to expand GlobalX too fast,  into widebody aircraft, electric flying taxis and an operation in Colombia. Previous to GlobalX he led an investor group that relaunched Eastern Air Lines as a charter operator after acquiring its name and trademark. In 2024, Wegel founded UrbanLink Air Mobility and last year co-founded Pan American World Airways, which is working to relaunch the iconic brand with Airbus aircraft.

Wegel will remain as CEO of UrbanLink and Pan American while working at 7Air, he said in a text exchange.

Aircraft tracking site Flightradar24 shows 7Air currently operating to places such as Guatemala City, the Dominican Republic and Havana, Cuba, in addition to island nations. Some flights go to Chicago and Rickenbacker airport in Columbus, Ohio. It appears from the company’s website that most 7Air flights are sponsored, meaning a logistics company contracts with 7Air for dedicated service rather than booking shipments on scheduled flights. Customers include CubaMax, a travel and shipping agency specializing in Cuba, and Globe LogisticZ, a freight forwarder based in Antigua.

The carrier appears to have flown in December under contract to UPS. Flightradar24 tracking data shows a 7Air aircraft shuttling between Chicago and the UPS hub in Louisville, Kentucky. UPS frequently hires other airlines for short term work in its network to provide additional capacity during peak season.

7Air’s core market is challenging to make money in. For starters, the region is highly competitive, with carriers like Amerijet, 21 Air, GlobalX and IBC Airways operating out of Miami and fighting for customers in the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. Certain destinations are already overserved by passenger airlines, like American Airlines, that carry lots of freight to the region in their belly compartments, and larger 50-ton aircraft like the Boeing 767 operated by Amerijet. The Caribbean is an especially difficult market, too, because carriers have to deal with different processes and cultures, and because there is very little backhaul freight to help cover operating costs, industry professionals say.

Another issue is that the 737-800’s range limits the plane to the Northern Caribbean, Central America, Mexico and some domestic destinations, industry professionals say.

Rival GlobalX recently parked two of its Airbus A321 freighter aircraft because of soft demand. But the 737-800s are much cheaper to lease and operate than the GlobalX A321s because of a market glut and their smaller size.

Wegel’s hiring reflects the revolving door that operates in the local air cargo community. Wegal, Nunez and several other employees worked at nearby GlobalX, a competitor of 7Air’s in the cargo space. Wegel succeeds Michael Mendez, who previously was CEO and chief operating officer of 21 Air, a growing cargo airline headquartered in North Carolina that operates from Miami International Airport. Mendez was replaced at 21 Air in late 2024 by Tim Strauss, the former CEO of Miami-based Amerijet.

Nunez previously worked as director of flight operations at GlobalX.

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Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

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