In January, Fresh Aviation covered the upcoming launch of Manchester-based carrier Sentra Airways, whose first Airbus A330-200 had been delivered to Cotswold Airport late last year. The firm, which was established in March 2019, had intended to launch services from Manchester to Accra, Ghana, in mid-2023 – however, its launch now appears to have been derailed.
According to Fresh Aviation Data, Sentra’s first A330 was first taken up by Sichuan Airlines of China as B-6517, and was registered to Sentra Airways in January 2023. However, in late September, the aircraft was de-registered and returned to lessor ALC as 2-SAHA.
At the time of the lease being signed, Lauren Kervick, assistant Vice President of Marketing for lessor ALC had said that: “[We are] pleased to announce this lease placement for one A330-200 with Sentra Airways,” adding that, “Sentra has an exciting growth and business plan operating from the UK to West Africa, and we look forward to growing our relationship over the coming years.”
However, it now appears that the airline’s launch has come to a hault, with no plans for a replacemement aircraft being announced. The lessor and airline are yet to respond for Fresh Aviation’s requests for comment, but it has been noted that ALC is expecting to lease the A330 to Romanian carrier HiSky Europe. GCAM, the MRO handling the aircraft’s storage, simply added that the aircraft is “due for [return to service].”
Cianan Kelly entered the sphere of aviation journalism two years ago with his debut publication, Connecting the UK, which was met with acclaim by enthusiasts and industry professionals alike. He joined Fresh Aviation in late 2022 with the aim of contributing to high-quality aviation press and research, with a focus on sustainability and the regional aviation sector.