ATSG inks deal with lessor Jetran to acquire 20 B767 passenger aircraft

Dec 21, 2018: US based Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) is to acquire twenty Boeing 767-300 extended-range passenger aircraft from lessor Jetran over the next three years.

ATSG currently expects to begin freighter modification of six of the twenty 767-300s during 2019, up to nine during 2020, and no fewer than five in 2021. The company operates B767s for Amazon Air.

The Jetran aircraft, manufactured between 1993 and 2003, are currently operated by American Airlines. They are powered by General Electric CF6-series engines.

Based on customer demand, however, ATSG’s aircraft leasing subsidiary Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM) may choose to refurbish and lease one or more of them internally as passenger aircraft to its subsidiary Omni Air for charter or ACMI service with Omni Air’s government and commercial customers, informs ATSG.

The company stated in its official release: “Based on that anticipated schedule, and apart from any other transactions involving 767-300s, ATSG projects that it would own at least fifty-nine 767-300 freighter aircraft by the end of 2021, compared with thirty-nine at the end of 2018. ATSG also owns six other passenger 767-300s, all currently operated by its recently acquired passenger airline subsidiary, Omni Air International, and owns other Boeing 737, 757, 767 and 777 aircraft.”

“Our discussions with a number of customers about leasing multiple 767-300s from us for deployment in new and expanding networks give us confidence that the market will remain strong,” said Joe Hete, president and CEO of ATSG.

CAM will purchase, manage freighter conversion, and lease the 20 aircraft.