A new cargo airline has just announced its certification to debut as the newest operator of the Boeing 747-400 aircraft in the world: the British-based One Air, which has been preparing for this moment since mid-2022, as reported by our partner, Aeroin.
The new airline announced on Monday, April 24, that it has finally received the Air Operator Certificate from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA-UK).
After successfully completing its test flight in July 2022 and following a rigorous operational licensing process, the new airline is fully approved to begin operations.
The aircraft used by the company is registered as G-UNET, a Boeing 747-400 BDSF (passenger aircraft converted for cargo), which can be seen in beautiful images in the following video, from Jonathan Winton’s YouTube channel. He recorded it at Prestwick Airport in Scotland during one of the operations carried out by One Air for the certification process:
One Air expects an initial demand for flights from the United Kingdom to the regions of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In the long term, it will also offer cargo services to China and the United States.
One Air has leased its first Boeing 747-400F freighter and is now the sole operator of the iconic Jumbo Jet in the United Kingdom since other airlines, such as the traditional British Airways, withdrew the model from their operations due to the impacts of the pandemic or the war in Ukraine.
Although the initial aircraft has a white fuselage and red tail from its previous operator, One Air displays the following paint scheme planned for its aircraft on its website:
The business model of the new airline envisions the addition of a second Boeing 747-400F in 2023.
Headquartered in Kingston, near London Heathrow, One Air has recruited a team of 90 air cargo and aviation professionals for its launch, including ground operations, engineering and maintenance, crew training, crew management, finance specialists, and human resources, as well as a 40-person aircrew with pilots contracted from Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airline, Norwegian Airlines, and other major airlines.
One Air is majority-owned by CEO Paul Bennett, who stated, «The important role that cargo services have played in supporting the UK economy and the public during the pandemic demonstrated the level of demand that exists for a British cargo airline.»
«We are proud to meet that need and have the opportunity to leverage long-term business relationships with freight forwarders, logistics providers, and freight brokers serving the UK market . We look forward to adding our second 747F this year and having the financial resources to grow in line with the level of demand we see,” he concluded.
The airline will review its fleet plans, including the potential for other types of aircraft, by the end of this year.
One Air has appointed Air One Aviation as its first Global Sales Agency, while Dnata will act as the airline’s handling agent at London Heathrow.
