Air Transport Services Group, Inc. has reported consolidated financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.

Rich Corrado, president and chief executive officer of ATSG, said, "As we had forecast, ATSG's revenue, earnings and Adjusted EBITDA improved significantly from first-quarter levels as our airline businesses achieved their performance targets, and leasing of our Boeing 767 freighters remained on a record pace. We have delivered seven of the eleven additional Boeing 767s we will lease to, and fly for Amazon this year during the first half, and accelerated our plans to offer Airbus A321-200 converted freighters to our lease customers. While our ongoing Boeing 757 combi and passenger flying assignments have not yet fully recovered from the pandemic, we are optimistic about continued steady improvement on those fronts, and about meeting or outperforming the overall results we have projected for 2021."

The forecast projects new leases for sixteen or more 767-300 freighter aircraft in 2021 and CMI flight operations for at least thirteen more 767 freighters for Amazon in 2021. It also assumes no incremental restrictions on passenger air travel or on combi operations stemming from a recent resurgence in Covid-19 infections globally.

Corrado noted that “E-commerce merchandising continues to drive strong demand for freighter aircraft capacity worldwide, and our Boeing 767s are at the center of that global trend. We have orders from companies such as DHL, Star Air, and Amerijet to lease at least ten more Boeing 767-300 freighters next year, and demand from multiple customers for others starting as late as 2025."

ATSG is also accelerating plans to extend its position as the world’s leading lessor of midsize freighters into new freighter types. Toward that objective, ATSG has secured rights for 67 freighter conversion slots with induction dates starting in 2022 through the end of 2025. These slots include Boeing 767-300s, Airbus A321s, and an additional type, the Airbus A330 aircraft.

“The A330 converted freighter, like our 767-300s will be a popular midsized option for our leasing customers,” Corrado said. “The addition of an A330 option will provide our leasing business with a third platform for growth, and complements the A321 freighter we will also introduce next year. Twenty of the 67 conversion slots, beginning in mid-2023 through the end of 2025, are designated for the A330.

"Our airlines continue to see sharp increases in flight operations for our CMI and other air cargo customers. We are optimistic about overall solid gains in the performance of our airlines this year, especially in the second half, as we anticipate further improvement in passenger and combi operations impacted by the pandemic. We will revisit our full-year guidance when we report our third-quarter results in early November."