Centurion Air Cargo closes down after certificate authority is revoked

United States-based, all-cargo carrier Centurion Air Cargo, which has not operated any routes since the end of 2016, had its certificate authority revoked for dormancy by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) on 17 August.

This comes as no surprise, as early in 2017, DOT informed Centurion that because it had ceased operating, Centurion’s authority was automatically suspended and the carrier could not resume operations until DOT had re-determined its fitness to do so. Centurion was given until the end of the year to receive a re-determination of fitness and resume operations, after which point if the conditions were not met, its certificate authority would be revoked. Although Centurion requested and received an extension through the spring of 2018, in May, Centurion notified DOT that it would not resume operations. On 1 June, the carrier notified DOT that it had surrendered its air carrier operating certificate to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Centurion owns two MD-11Fs, one of which (48429) is in storage at the carrier’s base at Miami International Airport (MIA) awaiting scrapping, and the other (48426) is on lease and operated by SkyLease Cargo. SkyLease was acquired by Alfonso Rey, owner and chairman of Centurion, in 2008, and had close managerial and technical relationships with Centurion due to their common ownership and operation of MD-11Fs. Centurion had previously operated 747Fs as well, as shown in the video below.

As a reminder, early bird registration for Cargo Facts Symposium, 10-12 October at the Omni San Diego, ends today, 24 August. For more information, or to register, visit www.cargofactssymposium.com.