Centurion Air Cargo, operating as Centurion Cargo, was an American cargo airline based in Miami, Florida, United States.

Centurion Air Cargo
IATA ICAO Call sign
WE CWC CHALLENGE CARGO
Founded1985
Ceased operationsJune 2018
HubsMiami
Secondary hubs
AllianceSky Lease Cargo
Fleet size8
Destinations22
Parent companyAlliance Management Center
HeadquartersMiami, Florida
Key people
  • Alfonso Conrado Rey (Chairman)
  • Nestor Bringas (CCO)
Employees1000+
Websitewww.centurioncargo.com

History

edit
 
A Challenge Air Cargo Boeing 757-200PF on approach to Miami International Airport in 1992

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

edit

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

edit

Centurion Air Cargo operated to be the following destinations:

Country City Airport Notes Refs
  Argentina Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini International Airport Hub
Tucumán Teniente General Benjamín Matienzo International Airport
  Brazil Manaus Eduardo Gomes International Airport
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport
Viracopos Viracopos International Airport
  Chile Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport Hub
  Colombia Bogotá El Dorado International Airport Hub
Medellín José María Córdova International Airport Hub
  Ecuador Latacunga Cotopaxi International Airport
  Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong International Airport [3]
  Japan Tokyo Narita International Airport [3]
  Mexico Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport
Mexico City Mexico City International Airport
  Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Hub
  Panama Panama City Tocumen International Airport
  Paraguay Ciudad del Este Guaraní International Airport
  Peru Lima Jorge Chávez International Airport Hub
  United States Los Angeles Los Angeles International Airport
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Miami Miami International Airport Hub
  Uruguay Montevideo Carrasco International Airport
  Venezuela Caracas Simón Bolívar International Airport

Fleet

edit
 
A Centurion Air Cargo McDonnell Douglas MD-11F landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 2011
 
A Centurion Air Cargo Boeing 747-400ERF taxiing at Narita International Airport in 2015

The airline fleet previously included the following aircraft:[4][5]

Centurion Air Cargo fleet
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

edit


See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 63.
  2. ^ a b "Centurion Air Cargo closes it doors". Air Cargo News. 2018-08-23.
  3. ^ a b "Centurion Air Cargo to partner SkyLease for China flights". Ch-aviation.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  4. ^ "Centurion Air Cargo Fleet details and history". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Challenge Air Cargo". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "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)
  7. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  8. ^ "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.
edit

  Media related to Centurion Air Cargo at Wikimedia Commons