Express carrier partner ASL Aviation buys 747 freighters from lessor

ASL Aviation Holdings, a Dublin-based provider of dedicated transportation service, on Monday announced the purchase of two Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft that have been under the operation of subsidiary ASL Airlines Belgium as leased aircraft to ensure ongoing capacity for shippers. The news follows the recent decision to expand operations in Australia and New Zealand by transferring some standard-size cargo jets from Europe to its Australian carrier. ASL Aviation took the opportunity to acquire the older Boeing jumbo jets when the owner decided to sell them, ensuring no interruption in long-haul air transportation services, said spokeswoman Saoirse Claffey. The lessor that sold the planes is Seattle-based Altavair, according to publicly available aviation databases. ASL Aviation has cargo airlines in Ireland, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Australia, and joint venture cargo airlines in Thailand and India.