ATSG adds UPS as new dry lease customer, reports strong 1Q19

Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) today released its first-quarter results for the period ending 31 March, reporting customer revenues up 71% y-o-y for the quarter to $348.2 million on increased ACMI flying. Net earnings, meanwhile, were up a solid 35% to $22.7 million. Robust demand from existing customers such as Amazon and DHL, as well […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 9, 2019

How important is Amazon to the US domestic air freight and express business?

Amazon is big. In 2018, the company’s share of US e-commerce sales reached around 50%. E-commerce itself accounts for about 15% of total US retail spending. But how big is Amazon for the domestic air freight and express business? And has Amazon’s growth come at the detriment for FedEx and UPS? To be clear, Amazon […]

• Frederic Horst
• May 8, 2019

ATSG, DHL renew 767 lease and operating agreements

Last week, ATSG announced it had reached an agreement with DHL to extend dry leases on a total of eleven 767Fs for three more years, through April 2022. Operational agreements for five 767s currently in service with ABX Air – four 767-300BDSFs and one 767-200BDSF – were also extended. The other six 767-200BDSFs involved in […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 6, 2019

Southern Air begins flying 737-800Fs for Amazon

Atlas Air Worldwide’s subsidiary carrier Southern Air today put two 737-800BCFs into service on a CMI basis for Amazon Air. The two aircraft (32882 and 32611) are among at least five 737-800BCFs that Southern Air will begin flying for Amazon in 2019. Breaking away from a pattern of what appear to be test flights between […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 2, 2019

Amazon Air to add 737-800BCFs, first freighter spotted in China

A Boeing-converted 737-800BCF (32882, ex-China Southern Airlines) was spotted in China this week sporting an Amazon Air “Prime Air” livery similar to what is customarily associated with what emblazons the e-tailer’s 767F network, a clear indication the operation will soon add a new fleet type. Shortly after photos of the aircraft were leaked to Twitter, […]

• Charles Kauffman
• March 19, 2019

String of deals in 4Q18 set ATSG up for growth in 2019

Yesterday, we considered how an application to the Department of Transportation revealed Air Transport Services Group’s (ATSG) desire to get into 777F operations through its subsidiary, Omni Air LLC. Today, we turn to ATSG’s 4Q18 results, which on the surface look disappointing, but actually position ATSG for significant growth in 2019 and 2020. The company […]

• Charles Kauffman
• March 1, 2019

With a healthy pipeline of incoming 767Fs, ATSG now looking to 777F platform

Through a series of recent deals, Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) has secured rights to a stable pipeline of 767-300 feedstock, and as a result, the company’s CAM leasing subsidiary expects to add at least twenty-five freighter-converted 767-300Fs to its portfolio over the next three years. With the growth of the 767 platform already dialed-in […]

• Charles Kauffman
• February 28, 2019

The widebody freighter fleet part III: New widebody operators gravitate toward 767Fs

Today we offer the final section of the 2019 edition of our annual widebody freighter fleet analysis. We began this year’s analysis of the worldwide widebody freighter fleet earlier this week with a look at the composition of the fleet on a carrier-by-carrier basis. You can review part I here. Part II continued with an […]

• Charles Kauffman
• January 31, 2019