Formerly | ASL Aviation Group |
---|---|
Company type | Designated activity company |
Industry | Aviation services |
Founded | 1970 |
Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
Number of locations | 26 Companies including aircraft leasing entities |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | 3,000 |
Subsidiaries | |
Website | https://www.aslaviationholdings.com/ |
ASL Aviation Holdings DAC (ASL), formerly the ASL Aviation Group, is an aviation services holding company focused on cargo and passenger airline operations, aircraft leasing and maintenance and aircraft parts support, based in Dublin, Ireland. [1] Today, ASL has eight airlines in Europe, South Africa, Asia and Australia, consisting of ASL Airlines Ireland, ASL Airlines Belgium, ASL Airlines France, ASL Airlines United Kingdom in Europe, ASL Airlines Australia, formally Pionair Australia in Australia and joint venture and associate airlines FlySafair in South Africa, K-Mile Asia in Thailand and Quikjet Airlines in India. [2]
ASL also has various aircraft maintenance and aircraft support companies – ASL Maintenance (formally X-air services), ASL Airlines Services Switzerland and ASL Airlines Hungary.
In 2022, the company reported a profit of €46.6 million in 2021 revenues of €1.13 billion. [3]
The group began with Safair Freighters, founded in South Africa in 1970, which with Safmarine acquired Tropair. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom in 1972, Air Bridge Carriers was established. In September 1992, the company was renamed Hunting Cargo Airlines and in 1997 all airline operations were transferred to Ireland. In 1994, Safair Freighters was renamed Safair and as a result of the Hunting Group's sale of its aviation-related companies in June 1998 to the joint consortium of Compagnie Maritime Belge/Safair (party of the Imperial Group), the airline was rebranded the company as Air Contractors.
The Imperial Group transferred its shares in the company to 3P Air Freighters in 2007. Air Contractors acquired French carrier Europe Airpost on 14 March 2008. [4] Following the acquisition of EAP into the ASL group of companies, the group was rebranded ASL Aviation Group, representing the three core activities of the group; Airlines, Support and Leasing.
In 2010, the acquisition of the Safair Group was finalised and in 2013 Safair introduced a broad-based black economic empowerment programme, allowing ASL to retain a minority share in the company.
Low-cost airline FlySafair was established by Safair in 2013. On 4 December 2014, the company acquired the Farnair Group in Switzerland. [5]
On 4 June 2015, ASL Aviation Group announced that Air Contractors would be rebranded as ASL Airlines Ireland, Europe Airpost as ASL Airlines France, Farnair Hungary as ASL Airlines Hungary and Farnair Switzerland as ASL Airlines Switzerland. [6]
The company acquired TNT Airways and PAN Air on 12 February 2016 and became ASL Airlines Belgium and ASL Airlines Spain. [7]
In 2017, ASL Aviation Group was renamed to ASL Aviation Holdings. ASL Airlines Switzerland ceased airline operations on 1 February 2018, [8] while ASL Airlines Spain ceased all operations in August 2018. [9]
On 4 June 2019, STAR Capital Partnership became the 100% shareholder in the company. [10] In 2021, ASL Airlines United Kingdom was launched. [11]
In 2021, the company reported profits of €43.6m after tax and revenue of €1,131.5m with cash reserves increasing to 46.3% year on year to €192.2m. [3]
ASL acquired 100% ownership of ASL Maintenance (formally X-air services) on 9 August 2022. [12] The company was previously jointly-owned on a fifty-fifty basis by ASL and Sabena technics.
In December 2022, the company re-launched joint-venture airline Quikjet Airlines with the renewal of a new air operators certificate and the delivery of its first Boeing 737-800BCF. [13] On 9 January 2023, Quikjet relaunched operations in India with a second Boeing 737-800BCF operating on behalf of Amazon Air. [14]
On 4 March 2023, the company acquired Australian airline Pionair and rebranded it ASL Airlines Australia. [15] [16]
ASL Airlines operates ACMI services on charter cargo transport services on behalf of express integrators and online retailers such as FedEx Express, Amazon Air, UPS and DHL. ASL aircraft operate scheduled and charter cargo services under the brand ASL Airlines on routes in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America and Africa. [2] These include ASL Airlines Belgium, ASL Airlines France, ASL Airlines Ireland, ASL Airlines United Kingdom, ASL Airlines Australia, K-Mile Asia, and Safair.
ASL Airlines France and FlySafair are the company's scheduled passenger services, based in Europe and South Africa respectively. [2]
ASL has a leasing division, focusing cargo aircraft leasing and sales options to operators. [2]
The company has two maintenance and aircraft parts support subsidiaries, ASL Maintenance and ASL Airlines Services Switzerland
The company has a global fleet of 152 aircraft. As of July 2024 [update] the fleet consists of: [17]
Aircraft | Type | In Fleet | Operated By |
---|---|---|---|
ATR 72–500 | Freighter | 3 | ASL Airlines Ireland |
ATR 72–600 | Freighter | 9 | ASL Airlines Ireland |
Airbus A300-600 | Freighter | 6 | ASL Airlines Ireland |
Boeing 737-300 | Passenger | 1 | Safair |
Boeing 737-300QC | Passenger/Freighter (Quick Change) | 2 | ASL Airlines France |
Boeing 737-400 | Passenger | 5 | FlySafair |
Boeing 737-400C | Passenger & Freighter (Combi) | 1 | Safair |
Boeing 737-400SF | Freighter | 27 | ASL Airlines Ireland, ASL Airlines France, K-Mile Air, ASL Airlines Belgium |
Boeing 737-700 | Passenger | 1 | ASL Airlines France |
Boeing 737-800 | Passenger | 32 | ASL Airlines France, FlySafair |
Boeing 737-800SF | Freighter | 47 | ASL Airlines Ireland, ASL Airlines Belgium, ASL Airlines France, ASL Airlines United Kingdom, K-Mile Air, Pionair Australia, Quikjet Airlines |
Boeing 747-400F, 400ERF | Freighter | 5 | ASL Airlines Belgium |
Bae 146-200/RJ85, Bae 146-300/RJ100 | Passenger & Freighter | 10 | Pionair Australia |
Embraer 190-E2 | Passenger | 1 | Pionair Australia |
Skytrans is an Australian airline and air charter business based in Cairns, Rockhampton, and Townsville, in Queensland. The airline operates RPT, charter, and ACMI services in Cairns, Horn Island, Brisbane, Rockhampton, and Townsville.
ASL Airlines Belgium, (ASLB) formerly TNT Airways, is a Belgian cargo airline operating chartered flights mainly to European destinations. It has its head office and hub on the grounds of Liège Airport. The airline was originally a subsidiary of TNT Express but was acquired by ASL Aviation Holdings DAC and rebranded in 2016. ASL Aviation Holdings DAC, the parent company of ASL Airlines Belgium, is headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland.
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ASL Airlines Hungary Kft, formerly Farnair Hungary, was an airline based on the property of Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary. It operated scheduled express cargo services, ad hoc charter services and relief missions. The airline ran a fleet of Boeing B737-400SF midrange freighter aircraft serving customers in the express parcel, mail and online trading sectors. Its main base was Budapest Ferihegy International Airport.
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ASL Airlines Switzerland AG was a Swiss passenger charter and freight airline. The airline operated package delivery services from its base at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg throughout Europe, in addition to transport for the Swiss Armed Forces, humanitarian organizations, and the oil industry. Its head office was in Bottmingen, Basel-Landschaft.
Jet Aviation is a Basel-based provider of business aviation services. Founded in Switzerland in 1967, it provides aircraft sales, maintenance, and charters using its fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Since 2008, Jet Aviation has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics and employs approximately 4,000 staff across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
ASL Airlines France (ASL), formerly Europe Airpost, is an airline based in Paris-Charles de Gaulle and operates out of major French airports. The airline operates both cargo and passenger flights with a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft including the 737-300QC, the 737-700, 737-800 passenger aircraft and both the 737-400F and -800BCF. ASLF operates freighter services on behalf of express freight integrators, including FedEx Express, and has been an operator of overnight postal flights for La Poste. The airline also operates charter cargo flights.
Southern Air Inc. was a global air cargo carrier headquartered in Florence, Kentucky. It was the first airline to provide ACMI service for the wide-body Boeing 777F. On November 17, 2021, Southern Air ceased operations upon its merger into Atlas Air.
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AerSale, Inc. is a Doral, Florida-based global supplier of aftermarket commercial jet aircraft, engines, used materials, and aeronautical engineering services to passenger and cargo airlines, government, multinational original equipment manufacturers, and independent MROs. AerSale is a member of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association.
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