Air Transport International
Air Transport International, Inc. is an airline based in Wilmington, Ohio, United States. It operates worldwide cargo charters and combi charters for the express package industry and freight forwarders, as well as for the United States Department of Defense. It also wet-leases aircraft. Its main base is Wilmington.[3] It is part of the Air Transport Services Group (Nasdaq: ATSG).
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| Founded | 1978 (as US Airways)[1] | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 1988 (as Air Transport International) | ||||||
| AOC # | IXXA394N[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 44[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | Air Transport Services Group | ||||||
| Headquarters | Wilmington, Ohio, United States | ||||||
| Key people | Jim O'Grady (President) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
The airline was established in 1978 and started operations in 1979. It was formed as US Airways and later known as Interstate Airlines. The current name was adopted in 1988. On October 1, 1994 International Cargo Express was merged into Air Transport International, which was itself acquired by the Brink's Company in February 1998. ATI was sold in 2006 to Cargo Holdings International (CHI). It has 495 employees.[3]
Cargo Aircraft Management was the lead customer for the Boeing 767 freighter conversion program. In the 12 months after ATI's sale by Brinks to CHI, worldwide airline profits fell significantly; however, ATI continued to negate this trend. Delivery of fully modernized and fuel efficient Boeing 767 was on track for June 2008.
On November 2, 2007, Cargo Holdings International, the parent company of ATI entered into an agreement to be acquired by Wilmington, OH-based ABX Holdings. The company along with sister company Capital Cargo International Airlines were run as separate companies under the Air Transport Services Group umbrella.
In March 2013 Capital Cargo merged with Air Transport.[4]
In March 2016, Amazon.com announced that it would be using ATI to provide transport services for the Amazon Prime network. The deal under ATI's parent company will result in an increase in aircraft, frequencies, and jobs for the airline. ATI has since become the primary carrier serving Amazon Air.[5] ATI currently also operates military charters for the U.S. Transportation Command.[6]
Fleet
Current fleet
The Air Transport International fleet includes the following aircraft (as of June 7, 2021):[2][7]
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 757-200PCC | 1 | — | |
| Boeing 757-200C | 3 | — | Used for passenger charters |
| Boeing 767-200BDSF | 7 | — | |
| Boeing 767-300ER/BDSF | 32 | — | Operated for Amazon Air |
| 6 | Operated for Aloha Air Cargo | ||
| Total | 49 | — |
Former fleet
Air Transport International formerly operated the following aircraft:[7]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 757-200PCF | 4 | 2013 | 2020 | Operated by DHL Aviation |
| Douglas DC-8-55CF | 1 | 1984 | 1984 | Leased from National Airlines |
| Douglas DC-8-55F | 1 | 1981 | 1983 | |
| Douglas DC-8-61F | 2 | 1989 | 2000 | |
| Douglas DC-8-62F | 6 | 1988 | 2005 | |
| Douglas DC-8-62CF | 3 | 1994 | 2013 | |
| Douglas DC-8-62H | 5 | 1988 | 2002 | |
| Douglas DC-8-63CF | 1 | 1995 | 2002 | |
| Douglas DC-8-63F | 7 | 1990 | 2004 | |
| Douglas DC-8-63PF | 1 | 1992 | 1992 | |
| Douglas DC-8-71F | 8 | 2002 | 2011 | |
| Douglas DC-8-72CF | 2 | 2005 | 2015 | |
| Douglas DC-8-73AF | 2 | 2002 | 2014 | |
| Douglas DC-8-73CF | 3 | 2002 | 2014 |
Accidents and incidents
| Flight | Date | Aircraft | Routing | Location | Description | Injuries | Probable cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 NTSB Accident Report |
March 12, 1991 | DC-8-62F | New York, NY to Brussels, Belgium | New York, NY | Captain aborted takeoff and skidded to the right; the aircraft struck ILS equipment, the nose landing gear collapsed and all 4 engines were ripped off; plane was destroyed by fire | 5 minor | Improper preflight planning/preparation, flight engineer misjudged aircraft weight and balance, improper airspeed by flight engineer and improper supervision by pilot |
| 805 opf. Burlington Air Express NTSB Accident Report |
February 15, 1992 | DC-8-63F | Seattle, WA to Toledo, OH | Swanton, OH | After the First Officer made two unsuccessful ILS approach attempts, the Captain took control, became spatially disoriented and accidentally caused the plane to enter a bank and attitude from which the plane would not recover | 4 fatal | Aircraft control not maintained by the pilot |
| 782 NTSB Accident Report |
February 16, 1995 | DC-8-63F | Kansas City-Westover Air Reserve Base/Metropolitan Airport | Kansas City International Airport | While departing for a ferry flight with the #1 engine inoperative the plane started to veer to the left; the plane continued its takeoff roll with the tail striking the ground; the plane was able to lift off but subsequently crashed, left wing first | 3 fatal | Decision to continue takeoff below rotation airspeed, lack of understanding of a three-engine takeoff procedure and failure of the company to ensure that flight crew received proper training |
Negligent in freight of macaques from China
In an inspection report, the United States Department of Agriculture stated that Air Transport International had shipped 1,148 crab-eating macaques to Houston from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and failed to provide the animals with food and water for over 24 hours, in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. This was the second time Air Transport International had "run afoul of the law" for transporting animals from China for laboratory research.[8]
References
- Norwood, Tom; Wegg (2002). North American Airlines Handbook. John (3rd ed.). Sandpoint, ID: Airways International. ISBN 0-9653993-8-9. Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
- "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. pp. 67–68.
- Popkins, Ned. "Orlando-based Capital Cargo International Airlines shutting down". OrlandoSentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
- "Amazon Prime Air Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- Bush, John (2021-06-29). "Local cargo airline lands millions of dollars in new defense work". Dayton Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- "Air Transport International Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- "U.S. Charter Airline Cited for Neglecting Cargo of Macaques From China - The New York Times". 8 January 2015.
