AeroUnion

AeroUnion is one of those airlines you will hardly ever find on a departure board – and yet for over two decades it was a fixture of cargo traffic between Mexico and the US. For many spotters the name stood for one thing above all: the Airbus A300 as a freighter, long after most passenger airlines had retired the type. This page shows you how the airline came about, which aircraft it flew, why it is called Avianca Cargo México today and how to recognize its aircraft.

AeroUnion at a glance

AeroUnion is a Mexican all-cargo airline based in Mexico City. The company was founded in March 1998, but it took a while to get to the first flight: in autumn 2000 AeroUnion applied to the US Department of Transportation for rights to operate cargo flights between the US and Mexico, and flight operations began in July 2001. The airline never carried passengers – on board there were only ever pallets, containers and a small crew in the cockpit.

The core business was clear from the start: air cargo between Mexico and the United States. Destinations in Central and South America were added later. Its stations most recently included Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and New York JFK in the US, Guadalajara, Mérida and Tijuana in Mexico, as well as Guatemala City, San José in Costa Rica and – via its partner Avianca Cargo – Bogotá and Medellín in Colombia.

The biggest turning point came in 2014. Avianca announced then that its cargo division Avianca Cargo would take over all of the non-voting shares and a quarter of the voting shares. That made AeroUnion part of a Latin American cargo network. In June 2025 the airline took the next step and has been called Avianca Cargo México ever since.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code 6R: appears in flight numbers and cargo paperwork. It rarely matters to spotters, because cargo flights are not listed on display boards.
• ICAO code TNO: the most important code for you. It appears in the flight plan filed with air traffic control and therefore also on flight trackers.
• Callsign AEROUNION: this is how the crew calls in on the radio, for example on approach to Los Angeles.

At first glance the ICAO code TNO seems an odd fit, because it does not recall the name. That is true of many airlines: ICAO codes are assigned when a company applies for them and do not always follow the brand name that comes later. According to the available data, the airline still uses TNO and 6R after the renaming to Avianca Cargo México. How the two code systems relate is explained in the article on IATA and ICAO codes.

The fleet over time

AeroUnion never had a large fleet. That is exactly what makes the airline interesting for collectors: every single aircraft is a sighting of its own, and the types have changed considerably over the years. The overview below summarizes the known fleet phases.

Type	Number	In service	Status	Spotter note
Airbus A300B4F	7 (total)	2001–2019	historical	Early A300 generation, converted to a freighter
Airbus A300-600RF	3 (total)	2017–2024	historical	Younger A300 version, often with wingtip fences
Boeing 767-200ER (converted freighter)	2 (total)	2014–2024	historical	Short 767, much slimmer than the A300
Airbus A330-300P2F	2 (as of 2025), more planned	since 2024	active	Converted passenger jet, long fuselage

Airbus A300: the trademark

For almost two decades the Airbus A300B4 was the backbone of the fleet. The aircraft were not purpose-built freighters but converted passenger aircraft: windows sealed, a large cargo door fitted on the left side of the fuselage, the cabin replaced by a cargo hold. Because first-generation passenger A300s had long since disappeared from scheduled service in North America, the AeroUnion aircraft were a welcome subject in the US.

From 2017 three A300-600RF joined them. You can recognize this younger version by, among other things, the small wingtip fences that many A300-600Rs carry, and by the more modern cockpit with two pilots instead of a flight engineer. For comparison, it is also worth a look at the passenger version, the A300-600. The A300 era at AeroUnion ended in June 2024.

Boeing 767-200: the rare second type

From 2014 to 2024 AeroUnion also flew two Boeing 767-200ER that had likewise been converted to freighters. The short 767-200 is much rarer as a freighter than the longer 767-300F, which you see at many other cargo airlines. Anyone who photographed an AeroUnion 767 has a double rarity in the archive.

Airbus A330-300P2F: the new generation

Since mid-2024 the airline has relied on the Airbus A330-300P2F. “P2F” stands for “Passenger to Freighter”, so once again a conversion from a passenger jet. According to the available data, two aircraft were in service in August 2025, with two more planned. The first A330 replaced one of the old 767-200s in 2024. Compared with the A300, the A330 offers much more range and volume – one reason why many cargo airlines choose the type to succeed older freighters. The manufacturer of all A300s and A330s is Airbus.

A300, 767 or A330? How to tell the freighters apart

In older photos and archives all three types show up side by side. Without a row of windows, freighters look similar at first glance. With a few features, though, you can place them with confidence.

Beginners often confuse the A330 with the four-engine A340. On a freighter with two engines, though, the matter is clear. If you are unsure about other airlines, the guide How to tell an A330 from an A340 helps. General features of all-cargo aircraft – missing windows, cargo doors, nose doors – are summarized in the article How to recognize cargo aircraft.

How to recognize AeroUnion

With the old aircraft the registration was a strong clue: the A300s and 767s were registered in Mexico and wore the prefix XA-, which stands for Mexican commercial aircraft. A widebody freighter with an XA- registration in Los Angeles or Miami was a good hint pointing to AeroUnion or one of the other Mexican cargo airlines. With the leased A330s this is less clear-cut: according to reports, the first aircraft flew with a US registration (N-). So always check the registration in the tracker or the register. You can find more on nationality marks in the article on country codes on aircraft.

With the renaming to Avianca Cargo México you have to expect that titles and paint no longer match the old name: older photos show AeroUnion, while current aircraft may already show the Avianca brand. If you cannot place an aircraft with certainty, rely on the ICAO code TNO in the tracker and on the registration.

From Benito Juárez to Felipe Ángeles

For a long time Mexico City Benito Juárez Airport (MEX) was AeroUnion’s home. In 2023 the airline moved, together with MasAir, to the new Felipe Ángeles Airport (NLU) north of the capital. The background was the relocation of all-cargo flights away from the congested city airport. For spotters that means: anyone who wants to see freighters in Mexico City today no longer plans around the old airport, but in the north of the metropolitan area.

A curious detail: the new airport sits on the grounds of the former Santa Lucía air force base. That is exactly where an AeroUnion A300 freighter had to make an emergency landing in 2016 after an engine fire – years before the base became a civilian airport.

Accidents and incidents

The history also includes dark chapters. On April 13, 2010, AeroUnion Flight 302 from Mexico City to Monterrey crashed on approach to Monterrey Airport. The freighter came down on a road near the airport; all five people on board and a motorist were killed.

On October 27, 2016, the crew of an A300B4F with the registration XA-MRC reported an engine fire on the way to Guadalajara and landed at Santa Lucía air force base. The ten people on board were unhurt. The same aircraft suffered nose gear damage in December 2018 while being towed in the maintenance area of Mexico City Airport.

Spotting AeroUnion: where and when

Your best chances are at the stations in the US, above all in Los Angeles, the most important US base. At Los Angeles Airport freighters often land on the same runways as passenger jets. Popular spots are Imperial Hill and the classic at In-N-Out Burger. For an overview of the airport, see the guide Plane spotting in Los Angeles.

Miami and Chicago were also in the network. Both airports are major cargo hubs where Latin American freighters are an everyday sight – you will find tips on spots in the guides Plane spotting in Miami and Plane spotting in Chicago O’Hare.

Part of the Avianca group

AeroUnion is closely tied to the Colombian Avianca group. The parent brand Avianca is one of the oldest airlines in the world; its cargo division operates its own A330 freighters and a dense network in Latin America. Avianca in turn belongs to the Abra Group, a Latin American airline holding company. With the renaming to Avianca Cargo México, the former AeroUnion now also appears visually as part of this group.

In the Mexican market it is one of the few dedicated cargo airlines. Passenger traffic is dominated by companies like Aeroméxico, while in cargo, alongside international players, Mexican all-cargo airlines such as AeroUnion and MasAir are active. Amerijet International from Miami, incidentally, has a similar focus on Latin America.

Common mix-ups

• Confusing AeroUnion with Aeroméxico – Aeroméxico is the flag carrier for passenger service, AeroUnion a pure freighter airline.
• Treating AeroUnion and MasAir as the same – both are Mexican cargo airlines at the same airport, but different companies.
• Taking Avianca Cargo México for a newcomer – behind it is AeroUnion, founded in 1998.
• Logging the 767-200 as a 767-300F – AeroUnion flew the shorter version as a converted freighter.
• Lumping the A300B4 and A300-600 together – the wingtips and the cockpit reveal the generation.
• Looking for A300s – the last A300s left the fleet in 2024.

Conclusion

For over two decades AeroUnion was a small but distinctive cargo airline between Mexico and the US – and for many spotters the go-to name for A300 freighters. Since 2024 the A300 and 767 are history, and since 2025 the airline has been called Avianca Cargo México and flies converted A330s. If you have old photos in your archive, you should caption them cleanly as historical AeroUnion shots; if you are looking for new sightings, watch for TNO in the tracker and note the registration.