Atlas Air

Atlas Air Boeing 747-400F

Atlas Air began operations in 1992. The airline's founder, Michael Chowdry,[5] started by leasing aircraft to other airlines on an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) contract basis. The first customer, China Airlines, contracted one airplane to start ACMI service in 1993. By 1995, Atlas Air began trading publicly and in 1997, Atlas placed an order for ten new Boeing 747-400F aircraft. Orders for another two 747-400Fs were placed in 1998.

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.[6]

In March 2010, Atlas Air was awarded a nine-year contract for the operation of the Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) 'Dreamlifter' for transporting aircraft parts to Boeing from suppliers around the world. It commenced operation in September 2010 under a CMI (Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) contract.[7] In 2011, Atlas Air took the first North American delivery of the Boeing 747-8 Freighter (Boeing 747-8F).

In September 2012, Atlas Air renewed a training contract with the United States Air Force to continue to provide training for the pilots of Air Force One. The contract also provides training for the Presidential Airlift Group for a five-year period.[8]

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.[9]

On May 5, 2016, Amazon.com and Atlas Air announced a deal for Amazon.com to lease 20 Boeing 767s in order 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.[10] This move came after Amazon's similar deal with Air Transport Services Group for 20 aircraft, also to be branded under Amazon Air.

In March 2017, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings shut down Florida West International Airways and cancelled the operating certificate.[11]

In January 2021, Atlas Air agreed to purchase an additional four 747-8 freighters. They will be the last 4 747 to the built. These are to be delivered in 2022, the same year that Boeing plans to shut the 747 production program.

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., Southern Air Inc., and Titan Aviation Leasing. The airline headquarters are in Purchase, New York and it operates flights on an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) and air charter basis for some of the world's leading airlines, express operators, freight forwarders, charter brokers, global shippers and the U.S. Military, along with a dry-leasing freighter aircraft. Atlas Air has global operations established in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America.

Crew bases are located at Miami International Airport, New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago O'hare International Airport, Seattle Paine Field, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, and Anchorage International Airport..[12]

Loading cargo in Miami

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

As of September 2020, Atlas Air operates the following aircraft:[13][14][15][16][17]

In May 2010, Atlas Air began operating a premium passenger private charter service for the U.S.-Africa Energy Association (USAEA) in conjunction with SonAir. The charter service consisted of two customized Boeing 747-400 aircraft provided by SonAir. The aircraft were laid out to serve 189 passengers and consisted of a three-class configuration. The charter service, which became known as the "Houston Express", including three dedicated weekly non-stop flights between Houston and Luanda, Angola. Due to low global oil prices, demand diminished and the Houston Express ceased operations.

As of June 2019, Atlas Air operates four Boeing 747 passenger aircraft and six Boeing 767 passenger aircraft for commercial and military passenger charters.[20]

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings owns and operates Titan Aviation Holdings, an aircraft dry-leasing company.[21] Through Titan Aviation, Atlas Air currently owns 17 aircraft for dry-leasing - six Boeing 777 freighters, one Boeing 757 freighter, eight Boeing 767 freighters (leased to parent Atlas Air), one Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft, and one Boeing 737-300 freighter.[22]

On January 24, 2005, Atlas Air Flight 8995 was flying from Dubai International Airport to Düsseldorf Airport. During landing at Düsseldorf, the Boeing 747-212BSF (N808MC) overran the runway due to heavy snowfall on the runway. The aircraft was written off.[23]

In 2006, Amnesty International released a report on extraordinary rendition which found that Atlas Air was one of the airlines which was alleged to have been used by the US government for rendering detainees.[24] This was also the basis for the Atlas Air track at the Heligoland album.

On February 2, 2008, an Atlas Air Boeing 747-2D7B was scheduled to fly from Lome Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. During takeoff, cargo broke loose, causing damage to the bulkhead. The aircraft (N527MC) was written off.[25]

In early 2010, an Atlas Air aircraft was involved in a safety and maintenance incident. In February, the cover of part of the flap assembly on a Boeing 747 detached from the aircraft, which was in the process of landing in Miami, Florida. On 17 May, a similar incident occurred; in this case, part of the inboard flaps on the right-wing of a Boeing 747 separated from the aircraft. Due to alleged improper maintenance practices, the US Federal Aviation Administration on 5 May proposed a roughly $500,000 fine against the airline.[26]

On November 21, 2013, a Boeing 747-409LCF operated by Atlas Air, registration N780BA, mistakenly landed at Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO), instead of the nearby McConnell Air Force Base (KIAB). The aircraft repositioned to KIAB the next day.[27]

In March 2016, an evacuation slide fell off of an Atlas Air 767 in the Mesa, Arizona area.[28]

On July 27, 2018, an Atlas Air Boeing 767-300, registration N641GT performing flight 5Y-8601 from Frankfurt/Hahn (Germany) to Portsmouth, NH (USA), landed on Portsmouth's runway 34 at 04:52L (08:52Z) but touched down hard. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. A post-flight inspection revealed creases around the fuselage and substantial damage to the aircraft. The NTSB rated this event as an accident.[29]

On February 23, 2019 at 12:45 CST, Atlas Air Flight 3591 crashed on approach to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, killing all three people on board: two crew members and one "Jumpseat" rider.[30][31] The Boeing 767 cargo aircraft, en route from Miami, went down in Trinity Bay, near Anahuac, Chambers County, Texas, about 30 miles southeast of George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The aircraft was branded as Prime Air, operating for Amazon Air.[32]

On Sept. 5, 2020, an Atlas Air Boeing 767-300, N649GT, flying as GTI8585 from Honolulu to Guam suffered a right hand engine failure during the initial climb out of Honolulu International’s runway 08R. As a consequence of repeated compressor stalls/surges, the engine emitted bangs and streaks of flames, forcing the crew to declare an emergency. The aircraft stopped its climb at 2,000 feet while flying a long downwind leg for 08R. Then it climbed to 3,000 feet and got vectors for an ILS approach to runway 08L at Honolulu, where the aircraft safely landed about 30 minutes after take off.

• Jon Hemmerdinger (15 Aug 2017). "Interview: Bill Flynn, chief executive, Atlas Air". Flightglobal.

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• Official website