Atlas Air has successfully secured $90 million in senior debt financing from Investec Aviation Finance to acquire three Boeing 747-400 freighters. This strategic move aims to enhance the airline’s capacity to support key global supply chains amidst a booming e-commerce market.
Artem Gonopolskiy, Atlas Air’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, emphasized the significance of this acquisition: “The 747-400F is integral to Atlas’ dedicated large widebody freighter capacity. Acquiring these aircraft underscores our commitment to providing unparalleled support for global supply chains.”
Investec structured and underwrote the transaction within a month, leveraging its market expertise to meet the tight deadlines associated with this large, syndicated facility against specialist aircraft collateral. Clayton Woollgar of Investec Aviation Finance highlighted, “The success of this transaction underscores our capability to find pragmatic solutions and structure deals for all transaction types.”
Earlier this year, Atlas Air announced its focus on the international widebody sector and plans to exit domestic 737 and 767 operations on behalf of Amazon by mid-2025. This shift allows the carrier to reallocate resources towards expanding its investments in global, long-haul services with widebody aircraft.
Atlas Air plans to add eight new 747 and 777 aircraft to its fleet in 2024 to meet the growing demand in the widebody market and expanding opportunities in global e-commerce. These new aircraft will immediately be placed into service, complementing the robust performance of the company’s existing 767 fleet, which serves both US military and commercial customers.