ASL Airlines Ireland, a subsidiary of ASL Aviation Holdings DAC, has retired its last four Boeing 737 Classic freighters, marking the end of an era for the carrier’s operation of the iconic type. According to fleet data from Planespotters.net, the remaining Boeing 737-400 Special Freighters (SF) aircraft have now been placed into storage at various facilities across Europe.
EI-STJ (msn 28885), a 737-490(SF) delivered to ASL following cargo conversion in October 2017. The aircraft has been stored at Sofia Airport since August 2023. EI-STS (msn 25773), a 737-48E(SF) that joined the fleet in September 2019, was most recently listed as stored at Ostrava from 20 August 2025.
EI-STV (msn 28494), a 737-43Q(SF), entered storage at Brussels Airport as of 29 March 2025, while EI-STW (msn 29201), a 737-4M0(SF), was placed into storage at Shannon on 20 April 2024.
Since 2015, ASL Airlines Ireland has operated a total of 20 Boeing 737 Classics, primarily freighter variants supporting key express parcel contracts across Europe. Among the most notable examples was EI-STA (msn 29057), a Boeing 737-31S named “Annalise Murphy” after the Irish Olympic sailor. The aircraft was withdrawn from use in October 2019 and later joined Lithuanian charter operator KlasJet as LY-CHF, reconfigured into a 68-seat VIP layout.
The carrier also briefly operated several aircraft with storied pasts, including EI-STK (msn 25052), which first flew on 12 April 1991. Delivered to Aer Lingus as EI-BXI and named “St. Finnian / Finnian,” the aircraft transitioned to cargo service under Kahala Aviation Leasing in 2013, later flying for Danish operator JetTime as OY-JTI. ASL leased the aircraft in August 2017 before eventually withdrawing it from service. After a brief storage stint in Laredo, Texas, in early 2024, the aircraft found new life operating for DHL Aviation via Mexican carrier Aeronaves TSM, now re-registered as XA-VHE.
Image Credit: Creative Commons – MarcelX42
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 31 August 2025 All Rights Reserved