UK start-up Ascend Airways has been granted an air operator’s certificate by the country’s regulator.
The carrier, which is linked to wet-lease specialist Avia Solutions Group, aims to commence operations with Boeing 737 twinjets.
Commercial director Tony Carder says the awarding of the AOC is the “culmination of several months of hard work and long hours”.
He says the Civil Aviation Authority’s approval means Ascend becomes “the UK’s newest airline”.
Ascend had stated earlier this year that it had acquired a Boeing 737 Max 8, and it also indicates that it will use a 737-800.
Its Max 8 was manufactured in 2022, the company says, while the -800 (G-HODL) is a 2011 aircraft originally delivered to Turkish carrier Pegasus.
While Ascend has yet to detail its route network, it says its aircraft will be based at London Gatwick and Southend.
