Awarded its AOC, flights are expected to begin soon.
New British cargo airline One Air has been awarded it’s Air Operators’ Certificate by the CAA, having successfully completed a proving flight in July 2022.
One Air, based in Kingston near London’s Heathrow Airport, has dry leased its first Boeing 747-400F to become only the second UK operator of the type.
G-UNET (c/n 25075) took its first flight on July 24, 1991, making it 31.8 years old at the time of writing. It entered service with Air Canada, delivered to the Canadian flagship on August 30, 1991.
From there, it flew with the likes of Honeywell, Air China Cargo, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Aerotranscargo, before One Air took delivery in May 2022.
In preparation to commence its operations, the airline has recruited some 40 air crew, with pilots recruited from airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Emirates and Norwegian Airlines to amongst others.
One Air is majority-owned by CEO, Paul Bennett, who stated: “The important role freighter services played in supporting the UK economy and the public throughout the pandemic demonstrated the level of demand which exists for a British cargo airline. We are proud to be meeting this need and to have the opportunity to leverage longstanding business relationships with freight forwarders, logistics providers, and charter brokers serving the UK market. We expect to add our second 747F later this year and have the financial resources to grow in line with the level of demand we see.”
The airline has also brought in Chris Hope as its Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager, drawing on his 35 years’ experience in aviation with easyJet, Flybe and the forerunners to Tui. He added: “We will be supporting British businesses and the UK economy, starting with the 90 direct jobs in our own organisation and the countless secondary jobs we are creating with our partners and suppliers. Over the past two years, the cargo market in the UK has clearly shown resilience in the face of unprecedented disruption to the aviation industry. Now the industry is entering a new phase of recovery and growth and we look forward to being at the heart of this.”
One Air has appointed Air One Aviation as its first Global Sales Agency, whilst Dnata will serve as the airline’s handling agent at London Heathrow. It says it will review its fleet plans, including the potential for other aircraft types, later in the year.
