ASL Aviation Group (Dublin) is combining and rebranding its four European airlines under the same name. Air Contractors, Europe Airpost, Farnair Switzerland and Faranair Hungary will begin operating under the ASL Airlines brand. The group issued this statement:
Ireland based ASL Aviation Group is to launch a new European airline brand, ASL Airlines, as part of its strategy for continued growth in passenger and cargo operations.
ASL’s 4 European airlines are to be renamed under the new ASL Airlines brand and there will be 4 airline operations ‘centres of excellence’ in Ireland, France, Switzerland and Hungary.
Air Contractors will become ASL Airlines Ireland
Europe Airpost will become ASL Airlines France
Farnair Switzerland will become ASL Airlines Switzerland
Farnair Hungary will become ASL Airlines Hungary
The ASL Group, which employs 1,500 globally, will continue to be based at its Corporate Support Office in Swords, County Dublin and will be led by Group Chief Executive, Hugh Flynn.
The total ASL fleet is +/- 100 aircraft depending on leasing arrangements, of which 75 aircraft are flying in Europe and in future will operate as ‘ASL Airlines’. Some of these aircraft will be painted in airline customer colours while the rest will soon start to become visible in Europe’s airports in the new ASL Airlines livery.
The strategy, named ‘Platform for Growth’, is an initiative aimed building on ASL’s leading role in various express integrator, passenger and postal markets in Europe.
ASL will also expand its global presence through its interest in Safair in South Africa and cargo airlines K-Mile in Thailand and QuikJet in India where ASL announced last week that its shareholding is to increase to 72.59%.
The new ASL Airlines brand and identity will achieve a number of key strategic aims:
- The creation of an evolutionary new identity and brand image
- A progressive transition from the current ASL Aviation Group identity
- Show a clear and consistent link between ASL Aviation Group and the 4 airlines
- Reflect key selling points of trust, reliability, size and credibility
- Affirm ASL’s commitment to our value proposition to our customers
- Enable us to enhance optimisation across the group
- Increase the competitiveness of each airline in the market
“Our intent is to have a new strong single brand that will play a major role in helping us to achieve our vision and mission and reflect our corporate values in our business”, said ASL Group Chief Executive, Hugh Flynn.
“This strong single brand will make it considerably easier to use the aircraft of the European fleet across the individual countries to meet customer demand and this increased fleet flexibility and consequent competitiveness will enable us to grow our business”, Hugh Flynn continued.
Hugh Flynn explained that ASL’s optimisation potential will include the creation of ‘Centres of Excellence’, reducing cost and improving safety, reliability, quality and profitability, 4 of ASL’s 5 corporate values.
“In addition”, he said. “there will be increased security of employment, job satisfaction and challenge for all of the people of ASL, our 5th corporate value, and the most important after safety,”, Hugh Flynn concluded.
A 5th operations ‘centre of excellence’ in South Africa will oversee the continued growth in Safair, the specialist humanitarian Hercules operator; FlySafair, South Africa’s first ‘true’ low cost airline launched in October 2014 and the two Asian airlines. ASL’s aircraft leasing platforms will also continue to be based in Dublin.
To facilitate the ‘Platform for Growth’ strategy the ASL Group is being restructured into two divisions, European Airlines and Rest of the World Airlines and Leasing.
- The current CEO of Air Contractors, Colin Grant will become Chief Executive of the new European Airline’s division and will be based in Dublin.
- The current CEO of Safair, Dave Andrew, will become Chief Executive of the new Rest of the World Airlines and Leasing Division and will be based between Johannesburg and Dublin.
‘Platform for Growth’ will see ASL increase the number of aircraft in its combined cargo and passenger fleets. Aircraft will also be transferred throughout the group to facilitate the airlines and their ‘centres of excellence’ becoming specialists in operating specific aircraft types.
The 4 European airlines to be rebranded ASL Airlines currently operate throughout Europe for the leading express freight integrators and for postal services in France and the UK from hubs in France and Germany and between bases throughout the continent from Norway to Greece.
Passenger services are also operated under the airlines own brand from Switzerland, Ireland and France while the Irish airline, Air Contractors, operates three passenger Boeing 757’s on daily transatlantic flights from Dublin and Shannon to Canada and the United States.
Air Contractors – ASL Airlines Ireland
Copyright Photo above: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. ATR 72-212 EI-SLK (msn 395) prepares to land at Shannon.
Irish Airline, Air Contractors, will be rebranded as ‘ASL Airlines’ Ireland. Just last week the airline won the prestigious ‘Aircraft Operator of the Year’ award at the Irish Aviation Authority sponsored Irish Aviation Awards.
Copyright Photo above: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Contractors operates this Boeing 757-2Q8 EI-LBS (msn 27623) for Aer Lingus.
Air Contractors operates Boeing 757-200 transatlantic passenger services from Shannon and Dublin to North America for Aer Lingus and also operates Boeing 737 charter passenger services throughout Europe from Dublin, Shannon, Cork and Knock Airports.
The airline also operates a fleet of turbo prop and jet aircraft for express parcel integrators throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Air Contractors aircraft slide show: 
Europe Airpost – ASL Airlines France
Paris CDG based Europe Airpost will be rebranded as ‘ASL Airlines’ France. The airline operates a fleet of Boeing 737-300/-400/-700 aircraft on passenger and cargo services.
Copyright Photo above: Arnd Wolf/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-31S EI-STA (msn 29057) of Europe Airpost arrives at scenic Salzburg, Austria.
Europe Airpost flies passenger charter services for tour operators throughout Europe and the Mediterranean countries, as well as VIP and ad hoc passenger flights throughout the world. On the cargo side, Europe Airpost flies for overnight and postal operators within France and Europe, and operates ad hoc cargo flights throughout the world.
As part of its strategy of diversification, Europe Airpost also operates a weekly scheduled cargo service out of Paris CDG to Tunis, and a number of seasonal scheduled passenger routes serving France, Austria, Portugal and Halifax (Nova Scotia/Canada) via Dublin.
Europe Airpost aircraft slide show:
Video: Europe Airpost:
Farnair Europe – ASL Airlines Switzerland and ASL Airlines Hungary
The two European airlines in the Farnair Group will be rebranded as ‘ASL Airlines’ Switzerland and ASL Airlines Hungary.
Copyright Photo above: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Farnair Switzerland ATR 42-320 HB-AFF (msn 264) arrives back at the Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg base.
Farnair operates a fleet of turbo prop and jet aircraft for express parcel integrators throughout Europe and also operates cargo turbo prop services in Africa. Farnair also operates ATR42 passenger services.
Farnair’s joint venture airlines in Asia, Quikjet in India and K-Mile in Thailand are not included in the rebranding initiative.
Farnair aircraft slide show:
Video:
