ASL Aviation Holdings has acquired Pionair, Australia’s independent provider of charter and ACMI services. Post-acquisition, the airline will continue to operate as Australian airline and will be re-branded as ASL Airlines Australia at a later stage. This will be in sync with ASL Group’s European airlines ASL Airlines Ireland, ASL Airlines Belgium, ASL Airlines France and ASL Airlines United Kingdom.
Post acquisition, Pionair’s fleet of 12 aircraft, including Embraer E190-E2’s and Bae 146/Avro regional jets will join the ASL Group’s current fleet of 140 aircraft.
“Expansion into the Australian and Oceania markets was a logical step for ASL as we develop our services globally to meet the needs of our customers,” said ASL Aviation Holdings Chief Executive, Dave Andrew. “Pionair was a natural fit for us, with the same field of operations and a foundation of safety, reliability and quality that matches our fundamental customer service values aimed at providing a service that is better than our customers could have expected.”
Going ahead, there won’t be any job loss and Pionair owner and CEO Steve Ferris will continue with his current role, however the staff number will increase in line with ASL’s growth and fleet plan. Branding this acquisition as the ideal evolution of Pionair, Ferris said: “We fit perfectly into the ASL philosophy, we are in the same business segments; we operate for some of the same customers, and we strive to offer the best possible service. Now, as ASL Airlines Australia we will have the ability to grow and to develop our fleet and services. It is the perfect marriage for both our staff and customers.”
The acquisition deal has received all required regulatory approvals and is effective immediately. The financial details of this release are confidential and are not being disclosed.
Apart from the four European airlines, ASL also owns cargo airlines in Thailand and India and its South African low-cost passenger airline, FlySafair. ASL’s aircraft range from the Boeing 747 to the turbo prop ATR72-600 freighter and includes the largest Boeing 737 freighter fleet in Europe.
The company is currently through a five-year fleet renewal programme that includes an agreement with Boeing for 40 B737-800BCF (Boeing Converted Freighters) conversion slots. Converted aircraft are allocated to ASL airlines in Europe, Thailand and India and ASL expects to allocate a first B737-800BCF to ASL Airlines Australia as part of this programme.