Our Origins Date Back To 1970

ASL Aviation Holdings’ history dates back to 1970, when Safmarine acquired Tropair (Pty) Ltd. and 1972 when Air Bridge Carriers (ABC) was formed, and it has grown to become a world leader in ACMI airline operations. 

Today, ASL Aviation Holdings is a global aviation services provider and a world-leading ACMI airline operator serving major cargo and passenger airlines. 

The Group now operates a fleet of circa 160 aircraft globally, including the world’s largest fleet of B737-800BCF (Boeing Converted Freighters).

In April 2023, ASL acquired Australian airline, Pionair, Australia’s leading independent provider of charter and ACMI services. This acquisition makes Pionair, ASL’s eighth airline in the ASL Group. 

January 2023 saw ASL joint venture airline, Quikjet Airlines relaunch its operations in India. The airline operates a domestic network using Quikjet’s fleet of two Boeing 737-800BCF freighter aircraft.

In August 2022, ASL assumed full ownership of X-air services, now ASL Maintenance. The Liège and Brussels-based maintenance organisation had been jointly owned on a fifty-fifty basis by ASL and Sabena technics. 2022 saw the relaunch of joint venture cargo airline, Quikjet Airlines in India.  

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, ASL continued to operate by providing essential air cargo services. The drive for efficiency and excellence continued, with ASL Airlines Hungary being integrated into ASL Airlines Ireland, and ASL Airlines United Kingdom was launched to coincide with Brexit. 

Elsewhere, ASL’s associate airline in South Africa, FlySafair, has grown to become the market leader in that country, with a 50% domestic market share. In Thailand, joint venture airline K-Mile Asia is growing its fleet with the introduction of B737-800BCF aircraft.

In 2021, ASL’s newest cargo airline, ASL Airlines United Kingdom was launched. 

In February 2019, STAR Capital Partnership LLP (“STAR Capital”), a leading European fund manager, reached an agreement with ASL Holdings shareholders, Compagnie Maritime Belge (51%) and 3P Air Freighters (49%), to acquire ASL Aviation Holdings, subject to customary approvals.

With all approvals in place, the acquisition closed on 4th June 2019, and STAR Capital became the 100% shareholder in ASL Aviation Holdings.

In 2018 the Group continued to position itself for continued future growth, restructuring its airlines to increase efficiency, remove duplication and create centres of excellence. This meant that ASL Airlines Spain was closed, and ASL Airlines Switzerland was integrated into ASL Airlines Ireland.

In 2017 the ASL holding company was renamed ASL Aviation Holdings, and the Group reached a revenue milestone, surpassing USD$1 billion for the first time.

In May 2016, ASL Aviation further expanded its portfolio when it acquired the airline operations of TNT Express N.V., comprising TNT Airways (Belgium) and Pan Air Líneas Aéreas (Spain). These two airlines were renamed ASL Airlines Belgium and ASL Airlines Spain, respectively and increased the total number of airlines within the Group to nine.

2015 saw the Group’s European airlines rebranded as ASL Airlines, with Air Contractors becoming ASL Airlines Ireland, Europe Airpost becoming ASL Airlines France and Farnair Switzerland, and Farnair Hungary becoming ASL Airlines Switzerland and ASL Airlines Hungary, respectively.

In December 2014, ASL completed the acquisition of the Farnair Group in Switzerland. This increased the number of affiliate airlines in ASL to seven and saw a further increase in aircraft owned and/or operated in the fleet to over 100.

In 2013 Safair established a new low-cost airline in South Africa but was unable to launch until October 2014 due to regulatory challenges. The airline quickly created a sea-change in the domestic market and was profitable by year two. By October 2018, after just four years in operation, FlySafair had gained an 18% share of the South African domestic market.

Also, in 2013, Air Contractors signed a contract with Aer Lingus to operate three Boeing 757 aircraft on transatlantic routes between Ireland and New York, Boston and Toronto.

In late 2010, the acquisition of the Safair Group was finalised, a move that included its leasing and airline operations based in South Africa and in 2013, Safair introduced a BBEE (Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment) programme, allowing ASL to retain a minority shareholding in the South African company.

In 2007, the Imperial Group divested itself of all aviation-related businesses, which were acquired by 3P Airfreighters. At the same time, an interest was acquired in Europe Airpost and its fleet of Boeing 737 Classic aircraft, which flew a combination of postal and passenger services.

This prompted the decision to rename the holding company and coordinate all the different operators under a single new identity and so ASL Aviation Group was born in 2008. 

The Hunting Group decided to sell off all its aviation-related companies in June 1998. The airline was sold to a consortium comprising Compagnie Maritime Belge NV from Belgium (CMB) and Safair (Pty) Ltd based in South Africa, part of the Imperial Group. 

In 1994 Safair Freighters (Pty) Ltd. was renamed Safair (Pty) Ltd. The sale to the CMB/Safair consortium prompted a change of name to Air Contractors (ACL).

In 1992, the Hunting Group decided to rebrand all its subsidiaries, and Air Bridge changed overnight to Hunting Cargo Airlines with a bold new corporate image. All the airline’s operations were transferred to Ireland in 1997, the same year that saw the introduction of the first Airbus A300-B4 to the fleet.

At the beginning of the 1980s, the overnight express parcels business was in its infancy in Europe and ABC was ideally placed to take advantage of this. TNT, FedEx, DHL and UPS were all nightly customers of the carrier.

In 1976, the company welcomed its first Vickers Merchantman aircraft. This heralded an introduction to new markets, such as fresh fruit flights through the Gulf and the Middle East, as well as overnight newspaper flights.

Following the restructuring of services with DHL and the end of the operation of the B727s, ACL acquired an interest in BAC Group Limited, based in Southend, England. Through that interest, it expanded its turbo-prop operations and embarked upon a major upgrade of the fleet with the modern and fuel-efficient ATR family.

Air Bridge Carriers was then acquired by the Hunting Group, and the fleet was enhanced further with the introduction of several Boeing 727 and Lockheed Electra aircraft, the majority of which were placed on the Irish register.

Originally operating with four Armstrong Whitworth Argosy aircraft that flew fresh produce from the Channel Islands, ABC service was soon supplemented by ad-hoc charter work specialising in ‘awkward loads’ including aircraft engines and heavy machinery for the developing North Sea oil fields.

The company began its journey in 1970 in South Africa when Safmarine acquired Tropair (Pty) Ltd., changing its name to Safair Freighters (Pty) Ltd and in 1972, when Air Bridge Carriers was formed in the United Kingdom.