Aerotranscargo NL declared bankrupt before lift-off

Aerotranscargo NL (Amsterdam Schiphol), which only announced its launch in February and was due to start flights this summer, has been declared bankrupt by the Noord-Holland Court in The Netherlands, according to official records. The court declaration was made on May 18, 2021, and the case was filed on May 19, 2021, under the insolvency number is F.15/21/72. The appointed curator is Christian Hartsuiker of law firm SWDV Advokaten with offices in Haarlem, Hoofddorp, and Purmerend. According to records, ATC NL was registered on December 3, 2020, to operate from Amsterdam Schiphol to fly cargo to China, Hong Kong Int’l, and the United States. Initial reports said the company was a subsidiary of Moldova-registered Aerotrans Cargo (F5, Chisinau), which has its operational headquarters in Sharjah (UAE) and a head office at Chisinau. However, Chief Executive Officer, Peter Scholten, confirmed to ch-aviation that ATC NL was not a subsidiary of Aertranscargo Moldova. “I was the majority shareholder of the company”, said Scholten, a former executive at Martinair (MP, Amsterdam Schiphol) and Saudia (SV, Jeddah). He declined to comment on the company’s demise. As previously reported, ATC NL planned to dry-lease two B747-400(F) freighters from Aerotranscargo and aimed to add B747-8(F)s and B777-200Fs in the long run, up to a fleet of 10 aircraft Scholten confirmed to ch-aviation on February 25, 2021, that Aerotranscargo NL had been working towards gaining a Dutch Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC). The Loadstar quoted an unnamed Dutch source saying that there had been difficulties in setting up the AOC, owing to questions from authorities over ultimate control and financial investment.