Atlas Air

Atlas Air Boeing 747-400F

• In 1992, Atlas Air began operations when the airline's founder, Michael Chowdry, started leasing aircraft to airlines.[3]

• In 1993, China Airlines, the first customer, initiated operations with Atlas Air with one airplane on an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) agreement.[4]

• By 1995, Atlas Air began trading publicly.[4]

• In 1997, Atlas placed an order for ten new Boeing 747-400F aircraft with another two orders for 747-400Fs placed in 1998.[4]

• On January 30, 2004, Atlas Air Worldwide entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In July 2004, the parent company completed its restructuring plan and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[5]

• In 2006, Amnesty International released a report on extraordinary rendition claiming that Atlas Air was one of the airlines used by the US government for rendering detainees. This was the basis for the song "Atlas Air" recorded by Massive Attack for the album Heligoland.[6]

• In 2007, Atlas Air began a multi-year training contract with the United States Air Force to provide training for the pilots of Air Force One. The contract also provided training for the Presidential Airlift Group. This program has been renewed several times and remains in place today.[7]

• In March 2010, Atlas Air was awarded the contract to operate the Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) 'Dreamlifter' transporting aircraft parts to Boeing from suppliers around the world. It commenced operation in September 2010 under a CMI (Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) contract.[8]

• In 2011, Atlas Air took the first North American delivery of the Boeing 747-8 Freighter (Boeing 747-8F).[9]

• On April 7, 2016, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings purchased Southern Air for $110 million in an all-cash deal. The transaction included Worldwide Air Logistics Group, Inc. and its two operating subsidiaries, Southern Air, Inc. and Florida West International Airways, Inc.[10]

• On May 5, 2016, Amazon.com and Atlas Air announced a deal for Amazon.com to lease 20 Boeing 767s to fuel growth of its new Amazon air freight service, branded as Amazon Air. The deal also warranted Amazon the ability to buy up to 30% stake in the company over the next seven years. Under the agreement, Atlas Air Inc. would provide aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance for a period of seven years. This move came after Amazon's similar deal with Air Transport Services Group for 20 aircraft, also to be branded under Amazon Air.[11]

• In March 2017, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings shut down Florida West International Airways and canceled the operating certificate.[12]

• In January 2021, Atlas Air announced the purchase of an additional four 747-8 freighters from Boeing. They will be the final four 747s to be built. These are to be delivered in 2022, the same year that Boeing plans to shut the 747 production program.[13]

• On November 17, 2021, Atlas Air and Southern Air Inc completed their merger with the transition to a single operating certificate.[14]

An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8F lines up on Runway 27 at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport as one of the airline's 747-400Fs lands on Runway 18C.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings is made up of Atlas Air, Inc., Polar Air Cargo, and Titan Aviation Leasing. The airline headquarters are in Purchase, New York, with a flight operations center located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Atlas Air operates flights on an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) and air charter basis for airlines, express operators, freight forwarders, charter brokers, global shippers and the U.S. Military, along with dry-leasing freighter aircraft. Atlas Air has global operations established in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America.[2]

Crew bases are located at Anchorage International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Memphis International Airport, Miami International Airport, New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Ontario International Airport, and Tampa International Airport.[15]

Atlas Air operates globally, with destinations throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Specific destinations vary due to customers' changing needs and seasonal trends.

As of December 2021, Atlas Air operates the following aircraft:[2]

Atlas Air began operating a premium passenger private charter service for the U.S.-Africa Energy Association (USAEA) in conjunction with SonAir in 2010. The charter service consisted of two customized Boeing 747-400 aircraft provided by SonAir. The aircraft were configured to serve 189 passengers in a three-class configuration. The charter service, which became known as the "Houston Express", included three dedicated weekly non-stop flights between Houston and Luanda, Angola.

Today, Atlas Air owns a fleet of ten B747 and B767 passenger aircraft available for lease in the passenger charter market.[2]

As of 2017, Atlas Air is the charter service for the Jacksonville Jaguars.[20]

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings owns and operates Titan Aviation Holdings, an aircraft dry-leasing company. Through Titan Aviation, Atlas Air currently owns 29 aircraft in its dry-leasing fleet. The dry-leasing fleet consists of seven Boeing 777 freighters, twenty-one Boeing 767 freighters (leased to parent Atlas Air), and one Boeing 737-300 freighter.[2]

• January 24, 2005: Atlas Air Flight 8995, a Boeing 747-212BSF, aircraft registration N808MC, overran the runway at Düsseldorf Airport due to poor braking action caused by unexpectedly heavy snow accumulation from an ongoing snowstorm. The aircraft was written off.[21]

• February 2, 2008: Cargo aboard an Atlas Air Boeing 747-2D7B, N527MC, broke loose on takeoff from Lome Airport and penetrated the bulkhead, causing severe structural damage. The aircraft was written off.[22]

• February 2010: The cover of part of the flaps on an Atlas Air Boeing 747 detached from the aircraft during landing in Miami, Florida. On May 17, 2010 a similar incident occurred when part of the inboard flaps on the right wing of an Atlas 747 separated from the aircraft. In May, alleging improper maintenance practices, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a fine of roughly US$500,000 against the airline.[23]

• November 21, 2013: the pilots of a Boeing 747-409LCF operated by Atlas Air, N780BA, mistakenly landed at Colonel James Jabara Airport instead of the nearby McConnell Air Force Base. The aircraft was flown to McConnell the next day.[24]

• July 27, 2018: Atlas Air Flight 8601, a Boeing 767-38EER, N641GT, sustained substantial structural damage, including a creased fuselage, in a hard landing at Portsmouth International Airport. The aircraft was carrying US troops home from the Middle East; no injuries were reported. The cause of the accident is under investigation.[25]

• February 23, 2019: Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767-375ER(BCF), N1217A, crashed into Trinity Bay near Houston on approach to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, killing both pilots and the single passenger, a commuting pilot from another airline. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) attributed the crash to pilot error and spatial disorientation; the NTSB also found that both pilots had experienced significant training difficulties and criticized Atlas Air's hiring practices.

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