The ASL Aviation Group has its origins in Air Bridge Carriers in the United Kingdom which was formed in 1972 to fly fresh produce from the Channel Islands. This was quickly supplemented by ad-hoc charter work, with special emphasis on "awkward loads" such as aircraft engines and heavy machinery for the developing North Sea oil fields. At the beginning of the 1980s the overnight express parcels business was in its infancy within Europe and Air Bridge was ideally placed to take advantage. TNT, FedEx, DHL and UPS were all nightly customers.
The company was subsequently acquired by the Hunting Group, which decided in 1992 to rebrand all of its subsidiaries and Air Bridge changed to Hunting Cargo Airlines, with a new corporate image. All of the airline's operations were transferred to Ireland in 1997.
In 1997 the Hunting Group decided to sell off all its aviation related companies. In June 1998 it was announced that the airline had been sold to a consortium consisting of Compagnie Maritime Belge NV from Belgium and Safair (Pty) Ltd from South Africa (part of the Imperial Group). This prompted a change of name to Air Contractors (ACL). Following the restructuring of the services with DHL and the end of the operation of the Boeing 727s, ACL expanded its turbo-prop operations and started a major upgrade of the fleet with the modern and fuel efficient ATR family.
In 2007, Imperial disposed of all its aviation-related businesses. At the same time an interest was acquired in Europe Airpost and its fleet of Boeing 737 Classic aircraft operating a combination of postal and passenger activities. This prompted the decision to rename the holding company ASL Aviation Group to co-ordinate the different operating companies under a new identity. Acquisition of the Safair Group was finalised in late 2010, which includes the leasing and airline operations, based in South Africa.
Most recently ASL completed the acquisition of the Farnair Group in Switzerland in December 2014. After the acquisition ASL can avail of Air Operators Certificates (AOCs) in Europe, South Africa, South East Asia and India, enabling entry into new and growing markets. ASL Airlines Belgium, formerly TNT Airways, has been founded in 1999 and was acquired by ASL Aviation Group on 24 May 2016. In early 2017, the ASL Aviation group was rebranded as ASL Airline Holdings.
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