Astral adds first B767F through ATSG deal

African cargo airline Astral Aviation has expanded its fleet to include B767F aircraft through a deal with lessor ATSG.

A B767-200 converted freighter was delivered to Astral by ATSG’s Cargo Aircraft Management subsidiary under a five-year lease. This is the first aircraft ATSG has leased to Astral, as well as the first Boeing 767 that Astral has put into service.

“We are pleased to introduce the B767 freighter into our fleet,” said Sanjeev Gadhia, chief executive officer of Astral. “This aircraft will allow us to better serve the needs of our customers throughout our intra-African and Middle East networks, and ATSG’s support and assistance has been indispensable.

“Establishing a partnership with the world’s largest lessor of 767’s is something we have been after for some time now. I view this as the start to something special for Astral and all of sub-Saharan Africa.”

Astral currently provides scheduled and charter cargo service to more than 50 destinations in Africa and Europe, with its fleet of Boeing 747, Boeing 727, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, BAE ATP, Fokker 50 and Fokker 27 freighters operating out of bases in Nairobi and Liege.

Mike Berger, chief commercial officer of ATSG, said: “ATSG welcomes the opportunity to help Astral broaden its service offerings by delivering its first 767 aircraft, and we look forward to more opportunities to expand our relationship in the future with Sanjeev and his team.”