newstodate.aero

Apr 02, 2020 (newstodate): The happy days are - at least for now - over in the ACMI industry as few airlines need supplementary  aircraft capacity, in stark contrast to only a few months earlier when the Boeing 737 MAX groundings caused havoc in the industry.
   Instead, passenger ACMI carriers are now seeking business alternatives in the cargo charter market, capitalizing on the cargo capacity on empty passenger aircraft.
   One example is the Lithuanian ACMI provider Avion Express that is now aggressively marketing its Airbus A320 Family aircraft fleet for ad-hoc cargo charters to lift medical supply, equipment, industrial parts and high-demand consumer goods.
   -Although we are currently mostly focusing on the transportation of humanitarian aid and medical equipment in the fight against COVID-19, other cargo requests are also very welcomed and thoroughly considered, the company says in a release.
   Managed by Darius Kajokas since April 1, 2018, Avion Express traces its history back to 2005 as Nordic Solutions Air Services that operated SAAB 340 cargo and passenger aircraft.  
   In 2008, Avion Capital Partners, established by David Masson, became the major shareholder and the company was re-branded as Avion Express, introducing its first Airbus A320 passenger aircraft in 2011, and exiting the cargo market with the sale of its last SAAB 340 freighter in 2013.
   In the fleet are now 21 Airbus A320 Family aircraft.
   The company's subsidiary Avion Express Malta obtained its Maltese AOC in May 2019, starting out with one Airbus A320 aircraft that commenced flights for Norwegian on May 20, 2019.
   Avion Express Malta applied for Foreign Air Carrier Permits and Exemption Authority by the US regulator DOT on July 3, 2019, and was granted rights on August 22, 2019, opening up for new business potentials as a provider of ACMI narrow-body services in the US market.
   Avion Express is thus also capable of offering cargo services between Europe and the USA.