UK Startup Sentra Airways Leases First A330

DALLAS - Startup airline Sentra Airways has obtained its first aircraft: an A330-200 leased from Air Lease Corporation. Delivery is scheduled for this summer.

The UK-based rookie carrier plans to use the aircraft on routes from Manchester International (MAN) to Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra, Ghana. Service begins this winter.

"ALC is pleased to announce this lease placement for one A330-200 with Sentra Airways," said Lauren Kervick, Assistant Vice President of Marketing for the leasing company. "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."

“Sentra Airways is delighted to have finally reached this significant milestone,” said Ishmael Musah, Chairman and Accountable Manager of Sentra Airways.”

Air Lease Corporation is based in Los Angeles. The plane contracted to Sentra is a 12-year-old Airbus A330-200 that last saw service with Chinese carrier Sichuan Air (3U). Typically carrying between 210 and 250 passengers in its 222-inch-wide twin-aisle fuselage, the A330-200 can be configured with as many as 406 seats in higher-density layouts, providing capacity solutions for operations on routes up to 7,250 nm.

The aircraft is currently at 3U's base, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU).

Sentra Airways

Sentra Airways is based in the suburbs of Bradford, UK, about 50 miles from its operating base in Manchester, UK. The start-up airline is focused on niche point-to-point scheduled destinations. The launch destination for winter 2022 is to be Accra, Ghana, with more routes to follow, including additional African destinations and the USA.

Sentra Airways is positioning itself as an "Airline of Choice" for its operational routes to be served, its future alliances, and its focus on regional partnerships that go beyond traffic. Its motto reads, "Sentra Airways, Your Best Value Airline."

The company was established in 2019, initially under the name "Majestic Mallard Airways," with a startup capital of £600,000. The company changed its name to "Sentra Airways" in January 2020. The airline’s shareholders are Balqis Ismail and Ishmael Musah, who are both British citizens.

The airline’s website at this point is merely a landing page containing a few lines of marketing copy and a link for press inquiries. Social media has not been updated in about a year.

Featured image: A330-200. Photo: Airbus