ASL adds 737-400F to Irish affiliate

• Jeff Lee
• September 9, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Capacity & Demand, Carriers, Conversions, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, Narrowbody Conversions, News, Strategy

ASL Aviation Holdings has taken redelivery of a 737-400SF (25773, ex-Yamal Airlines). The aircraft is on lease from U.S.-based Vx Capital Partners and will be joining the ASL Airlines Ireland fleet [FATs 005127-005128]. Unit 25773 was ferried from Jacksonville (VQQ), where it was converted at the Flightstar facility by Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI), to Shannon […]

ASL Airlines 747-400ERF still stuck in Nanchang after aborted takeoff

• Charles Kauffman
• August 27, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, Features, Production Freighters

ASL Airlines Belgium is down a 747-400ERF. On August 23, a 747-400ERF (33516) operated by ASL Airlines Belgium was en-route to Liege (LGG) from Nanchang (KHN) when the crew rejected the takeoff. While decelerating, the aircraft’s brakes overheated and deflated fourteen of the tires. The crew managed to safely evacuate the aircraft from the upper […]

Turboprop freighter fleet analysis 2019: A stable niche or still nascent?

• Charles Kauffman
• July 18, 2019
• Carriers, Conversions, Features, News, Regional Fleet Analysis

The turboprop freighter fleet for aircraft with payloads of 3.8 - 8.8 tonnes grew by just 7% year-over-year to 181 units in June 2019, up 12 units from a total of 169 the year prior. While growth of 7% wouldn’t be unimpressive on its own, many of the additions this year stemmed from the reactivation […]

ASL signs MoU for up to 20 737-800BCFs

• Jeff Lee
• June 19, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, Conversions, Express, Freighter Aircraft Transactions, News

Ireland-based ASL Aviation Holdings placed a firm order for ten 737-800BCFs with purchase rights for an additional ten, in a memorandum of understanding signed with Boeing today at the Paris Air Show [FATs 004986-5005]. While these will be the first 737-800BCFs to be owned by ASL itself, the company has, since last year, already been […]

STAR Capital finalizes acquisition of ASL Aviation

• Caryn Livingston
• June 5, 2019
• All Posts, Carriers

European private equity firm STAR Capital completed its acquisition of Ireland-based ASL Aviation Holdings, announced in February of this year. ASL Aviation’s airlines include ASL Airlines Ireland, ASL Airlines Belgium, ASL Airlines France, and ASL Airlines Hungary, and combined, the group operates a total of 130 passenger and freighter aircraft ranging from 747s to ATR […]

Swiftair parent set to gain control of West Atlantic

• Charles Kauffman
• April 10, 2019
• All Posts, Carriers

Yesterday, shareholders of Sweden-based West Atlantic Group accepted what amounts to a takeover offer from Spain-based LUSAT Air S.L., the holding company that owns Aviation Leasing Spain, Cygnus Air, and Swiftair. The two companies entered into an MoU that would enable LUSAT to acquire a majority stake in West Atlantic. The deal is slated for […]

Cargolux nabs three 747-400ERFs as ASL restructures leased fleet

• Charles Kauffman
• April 8, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, News

Last year, Cargolux confirmed plans to add three used 747-400ERFs to its fleet in 2019. At the time, a number of sources for the aircraft were possible, but now that a Luxembourgian registration has been reserved for the first aircraft (35236, ex-ASL Airlines Belgium) the identities of the other two incoming 747-400ERFs begin to emerge. […]

The first 7 operators of 737 NG freighters

• Caryn Livingston and Charles Kauffman
• March 22, 2019
• Aircraft, All Posts, Carriers, News, Video

Earlier this week, Atran Airlines, the express carrier subsidiary of Russia-based Volga Dnepr Group, announced it successfully added its first 737-800BCF to its AOC (32616, ex-Nok Air), on lease from GECAS. Atran has become the seventh 737 NG operator, since Bedek redelivered the first freighter-converted 737-700 in September 2017. Today, there are three active conversion […]