Centurion Air Cargo
Centurion Air Cargo, operating as Centurion Cargo, was an American cargo airline based in Miami, Florida, United States.
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| Founded | 1985 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | June 2018 | ||||||
| Hubs | Miami | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | |||||||
| Alliance | Sky Lease Cargo | ||||||
| Fleet size | 8 | ||||||
| Destinations | 22 | ||||||
| Parent company | Alliance Management Center | ||||||
| Headquarters | Miami, Florida | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Employees | 1000+ | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
The airline was established as Challenge Air Cargo in 1985 as a subsidiary of Challenge Air Transport. In 1986, the airline became independent of Challenge Air Transport. In 2001, following the takeover of the scheduled business by United Parcel Service a new company was formed as Centurion Air Cargo to take over the air operating certificate of Challenge.[1]
The airline surrendered its operating certificate to the Federal Aviation Administration in June 2018, after being unable to restructure its operations after financial difficulties.[2]
Centurion Cargo Center
The Centurion Cargo Center was a cargo terminal located at Miami International Airport, opened in 2013.
The facility comprised a 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) area incorporating a 550,000 square feet (51,000 m2) warehouse with both cold and dry storage facilities.
Centurion Cargo Center was the largest privately owned, all cargo airline facility in North America before its operation was shut down.[2]
Destinations
Centurion Air Cargo operated to be the following destinations:
Fleet
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The airline fleet previously included the following aircraft:[4][5]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAC One-Eleven Series 400AK | 1 | 1986 | 1986 | |
| Boeing 707-320C | 3 | 1983 | 1999 | |
| Boeing 727-100 | 1 | 1986 | 1987 | Leased from Air Panamá Internacional |
| Boeing 747-400BDSF | 1 | 2015 | 2017 | |
| Boeing 747-400ERF | 2 | 2013 | 2017 | |
| Boeing 747-400F | 1 | 2013 | 2015 | [6] |
| Boeing 757-200PF | 3 | 1989 | 2000 | |
| Douglas DC-8-63PF | 2 | 1988 | 1991 | |
| Douglas DC-8-73CF | 1 | 1995 | 1995 | Leased from Southern Air Transport |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10F | 1 | 2006 | 2007 | Leased from Emery Worldwide |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F | 7 | 2001 | 2010 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40F | 3 | 1998 | 2004 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11CF | 2 | 2009 | 2017 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11F | 3 | 2009 | 2018 | |
Accidents and incidents
- On July 7, 2008, Centurion Air Cargo Flight 164 crashed near El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia, killing three people in a nearby house.
- On October 20, 2009, Centurion Air Cargo Flight 431, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (registered N701GC) sustained damage on landing at Carrasco International Airport. The right hand main landing gear leg was bent sideways during landing on runway 24. The crew managed to stop on taxiway A where the airplane had to be offloaded.[7]
- On October 13, 2012, Centurion Air Cargo Flight 425, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (registered N988AR) sustained substantial damage while landing at Viracopos International Airport. Upon touchdown, the left landing gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded along the runway for 800 meters before stopping. The aircraft was written off afterwards. All 3 occupants on board were uninjured.[8]
References
- "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 63.
- "Centurion Air Cargo closes it doors". Air Cargo News. 2018-08-23.
- "Centurion Air Cargo to partner SkyLease for China flights". Ch-aviation.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
- "Centurion Air Cargo Fleet details and history". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- "Challenge Air Cargo". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
- "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- Jones, Geoffry P. "Miami Challenge". Air International, November 1993, Vol 45 No 5. ISSN 0306-5634. pp. 241–244.
