ASL Airlines United Kingdom on Monday flew its first cargo flight with an ATR 72-200 turboprop freighter. It is the first carrier to receive an air operator certificate from the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority since Brexit.
ASL Aviation Holdings, which operates four for-hire cargo airlines in Europe, said the new subsidiary will operate daily between East Midlands Airport and Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland. The company eventually plans to fly to the European Union too.
ASL UK will be closely aligned with ASL Airlines Ireland, with shared procedures and support services to maximize efficiency.
“The launch of ASL Airlines UK further strengthens our customer offering as a leading global aviation services provider,” ASL Aviation Holdings CEO Dave Andrew said in a statement. “We will continue to explore opportunities to grow by offering all customers, new and old, a neutral service with the agility to deliver, develop and grow according to their requirements.”
In addition to five European airlines that provide service to express delivery logistics companies, postal services and online retailers, ASL has two associated airlines in South Africa and Thailand. Customers include Amazon Air (NASDAQ: AMZN), DHL and FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX). It also operates intercontinental scheduled services under its own brand, as well as passenger services in France and South Africa.
ASL has a fleet of 140 aircraft ranging from the Boeing 747-400 to the ATR72, and owns maintenance and leasing entities. It is in the process of adding 20 converted Boeing 737-800 freighters.
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