ASL Airlines United Kingdom has received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and its Operating Licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, becoming the world’s newest cargo airline. ASL UK will be closely aligned to ASL Airlines Ireland with common SOPs and shared support services as part of it’s ‘centres of excellence’ strategy.

ASL Aviation Holdings Chief Operating Officer Colin Grant said “Our decision to establish a UK airline was customer focussed, we want to offer our customers flexibility in their route planning when they want to operate domestically in the UK, or, in time, to fly from the UK to the EU.”

The new airline’s first flight was operated by an ATR72-202 freighter from East Midlands Airport to Belfast International Airport on 25th March. The aircraft, registered G-OASL formerly registered as EI-SOA, became the first aircraft on the AOC and it will operate to Belfast International Airport daily from ASL Airlines UK’s new base at East Midlands.

ASL Airlines UK AOC is for the operation of cargo flights on a single route, but the airline is looking at opportunities to grow its domestic UK network and is applying for an EASA Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation for cargo flights from the UK to Europe.

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 4 April 2021 All Rights Reserved