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ASL Airlines launches UK cargo subsidiary

Company provides air transport for integrated parcel companies, postal services and Amazon

Eric Kulisch
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ASL Airlines opened a U.K. unit with a single route and an ATR72 cargo plane. (Photo: ASL Airlines)

ASL Airlines United Kingdom on Monday flew its first cargo flight with an ATR 72-200 turboprop freighter. It is the first carrier to receive an air operator certificate from the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority since Brexit.

ASL Aviation Holdings, which operates four for-hire cargo airlines in Europe, said the new subsidiary will operate daily between East Midlands Airport and Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland. The company eventually plans to fly to the European Union too.

ASL UK will be closely aligned with ASL Airlines Ireland, with shared procedures and support services to maximize efficiency.

“The launch of ASL Airlines UK further strengthens our customer offering as a leading global aviation services provider,” ASL Aviation Holdings CEO Dave Andrew said in a statement. “We will continue to explore opportunities to grow by offering all customers, new and old, a neutral service with the agility to deliver, develop and grow according to their requirements.”


In addition to five European airlines that provide service to express delivery logistics companies, postal services and online retailers, ASL has two associated airlines in South Africa and Thailand.  Customers include Amazon Air (NASDAQ: AMZN), DHL and FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX). It also operates intercontinental scheduled services under its own brand, as well as passenger services in France and South Africa. 

ASL has a fleet of 140 aircraft ranging from the Boeing 747-400 to the ATR72, and owns maintenance and leasing entities. It is in the process of adding 20 converted Boeing 737-800 freighters.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at [email protected]