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Western Global Airlines asks DOT for permission to expand fleet

Application shines light on cargo carrier’s profitability, expansion plans

Eric Kulisch
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Western Global Airlines has three Boeing 747 freighters in its fleet. (Photo: Flickr/ Alan Wilson BY CC 2.0)

Contract cargo operator Western Global Airlines has asked the Department of Transportation to lift the cap on the number of planes it can operate so it can expand amid favorable growth conditions for airfreight. 

The Estero, Florida-based company has been operating under DOT authority for seven years, but says its profitability and safety record demonstrate it no longer needs close government monitoring. Customers include express carriers UPS (NYSE: UPS) and DHL, the Postal Service, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), logistics providers, government agencies and the U.S. Department of Defense.

“Given that Western Global has been operating very successfully for seven years and meets or exceeds all fitness criteria, the company respectfully submits that a condition limiting its fleet size is no longer necessary. Removal of the condition will help facilitate Western Global’s continued orderly growth and ease the department’s and Western Global’s administrative burdens,” it said in a Sept. 8 filing.

DOT practice is to watch new market entrants for the first five years and limit fleet growth while the carrier’s management and technical personnel gain experience with operations. 


Western Global operates 12 MD-11 and three Boeing 747 converted freighters, but has permission for 19 aircraft in its fleet. The company said it has acquired six more aircraft it plans to deploy once the Federal Aviation Administration completes checks that they conform to Western’s approved operating program. Western owns three other aircraft that are only used as a source for spare parts.

The application also provides a window into the financial performance of the privately held company, which is controlled by the Neff family. Western Global generated $375.5 million in operating revenue last year, up from $241.2 million in operating revenue in 2019 and $253.6 million in 2018. Net income in 2020 soared to $122.4 million last year, compared to $16 million the prior year. 

Western Global’s application for removing fleet limits was first reported by Air Cargo World.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.


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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 was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. 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