It appears that Miami-based Centurion Air Cargo has resumed operations, sending three MD-11Fs back into service, according to reports from ch-aviation. The airline’s fleet had been grounded since September for non-payment to its debtors.
What Air Cargo World knows is that Centurion has had frequencies as recently as Dec. 27, with a Miami (MIA) to Simon Bolivar International Airport (CCS) destination.
As reported in our sister publication Cargo Facts, fuel supplier Chemoil Corp. filed 11 lawsuits in Miami Dade Civil Court in September 2014, claiming that Centurion and its affiliates were past due on $12.9 million in fuel bills. Previously Chemoil had filed mechanic’s liens against all 11 aircraft in the fleets of Centurion and its partner airline SkyLease Cargo, so the aircraft could not be sold without Chemoil being paid first. In August 2014, AGC, an engine component manufacturer, also filed suit against Centurion.
On Aug. 16, 2014, Starr Indemnity and Liability sued Centurion, preceded by PAFCO, an Ireland-based subsidiary of aircraft lessor AWAS, which sued Centurion on five counts for each of its MD-11F’s leased from PAFCO (Pegasus Aviation Finance Co.) and one count for a 747-400F leased by SkyLease. The suits stated they wanted the planes back, but Centurion refused to return them.
In September, the airline suspended its Miami-Amsterdam route. Centurion also leases a 550,000 square-foot warehouse at Miami International Airport.
Air Cargo World European Editor Alex Lennane, reported that Centurion owner, Alfonso Rey, sold his personal Miami residence for $29 million in early 2014.