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Amazon shifts two freighters from Atlas Air to ATSG operation

Eric Kulisch
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Image: Flickr/Joe A. Kunzler

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has transferred flying responsibility for two leased Boeing 767-300 freighters from Atlas Air Worldwide to Air Transport International, a charter airline owned by Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), Amazon and ATSG officials confirmed.

Both companies lease and operate planes on behalf of the Amazon Air network, which the e-commerce giant launched in recent years to better meet one- and two-day delivery commitments for Prime members.

“We are constantly innovating on behalf of our customers, and from time to time that means making adjustments to our air network. Two aircraft previously assigned to Atlas will now be operated by another carrier,” Amazon spokeswoman Rena Lunak said in an email. 

ATSG spokesman Paul Cunningham confirmed in an email that ATI is getting the new business. ATSG carriers ATI and ABX Air operate more than 20 767 all-cargo planes for Amazon Air.


Industry newsletter Cargo Facts first reported the news of Amazon’s change in operators. It said Atlas’ leasing arm will continue to lease 19 planes to Amazon.

It’s unclear what prompted the change, but Amazon could be hedging its risk of any operational slowdown by Atlas Air pilots ahead of the peak holiday season. Pilots at both carriers are embroiled in tense labor negotiations, but the Atlas process is closer to the point where pilots can legally strike. Atlas Air has already experienced pilot attrition and work slowdowns that impacted its second-quarter earnings, as previously reported here.


Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com