Amelia International (NL, Ljubljana) has taken delivery of its first ATR72-200(F) in anticipation of entering Europe's booming cargo market.
EI-SLP (msn 461), a 26.1-year-old ex-ASL Airlines Ireland aircraft, was ferried from Toulouse Francazal to Ljubljana on January 6, 2022. The carrier said it would be deployed on cargo routes "quickly" but did not provide a precise timeline. The carrier told ch-aviation that it did not want to sign contracts with customers before the induction of the aircraft but was in advanced talks with a few clients to begin them as soon as formally possible. It expects that the aircraft will be registered in Slovenia and added to its AOC within a week. The ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows that the ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprop is owned by TrueNoord.
The Slovenian airline, a subsidiary of France's Groupe Regourd, underlined that its decision to enter the cargo market was driven by reduced capacity proffered by regional passenger carriers, paired with growing demand for cargo shipments across the continent.
Amelia International operates three ATRs - one ATR42-500 and two ATR72-600s - all of which are in passenger configurations, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. The airline also operates three E135s and eight E145s. The French parent is in the process of adding its first A319-100, which will become Regourd Aviation's first aircraft on the French AOC.
Amelia International, then known as Aero4M, operated a single passenger ATR72-200 between 2014 and 2017.
