summary
- As the air cargo industry faces a downturn and a new normal, Amerijet, like other cargo airlines, is cutting back on flights.
- Amerijet is parking some of its cargo planes, citing rising costs, declining demand and the termination of large contracts.
- After the pandemic bubble burst, the freight industry has struggled with layoffs and job cuts by express shippers.
After years of rapid fleet expansion, Amerijet joins the ranks of cargo airlines that will wind down operations at the end of 2023 as the air cargo industry searches for a new normal. The Miami-based airline has begun parking some of its cargo planes in response to a downturn in the air cargo market.
recent reports cargo wave Citing an internal Amerijet memo, the airline said it had parked one cargo plane and replaced another as the airline struggled with rising costs, declining demand and the termination of two major contracts with the U.S. Postal Service and DHL. This indicates that the airline was considering postponing heavy maintenance on the two aircraft. Express.
Amerijet fleet movements
Amerijet operates a fleet of 22 aircraft, both 767s and 757s. Amerijet has a total of six 757s, which it began acquiring in 2021 after the airline retired its 727 fleet. According to data available on Flightradar24.com, at least two 757-200s, N286GB and N818NH, have remained parked since April and October, respectively. Both of these cargo planes were operated on lease and provided passenger service to several airlines before being converted by Precision Aircraft Solutions.
At least two of the Amerijet 767 cargo planes, N657GT and N659GT, are currently parked at Roswell (ROW) and have been there since July. Two other 767s, N743AX and N274CM, returned to Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) in Wilmington, Illinois, where they remained parked from May through September. His fourth 767, his N349CM, has remained parked in Mexico City (MEX) since November 22nd.
Photo: Amerijet
It’s unclear how many of Amerijet’s fleet will need to remain parked or what other cost-cutting measures the airline will need to take as revenues decline. be. Amerijet was not available for comment at press time.
Amerijet operates at least 10 of its 767 freighters on lease from ATSG’s leasing subsidiary, Cargo Aircraft Management. Amerijet has dry-leased freighters from CAM since 2010, with lease terms ranging from five to 10 years, ATSG said in a statement.
Trouble in the cargo industry
The news comes two months after Amerijet’s chief financial officer, Joe Mozzali, became chief executive officer following the resignation of Tim Strauss. Mozzali had just taken over as CEO after a brief seven-month stint as CFO. Strauss’s year as CEO has been rocky, with him once attempting to leave the company in 2021.
Amerijet’s problems stand alone as several cargo airlines struggle after the bubble in demand for dedicated cargo planes due to the COVID-19 pandemic burst as passenger airlines’ belly-carrying capacity recovered. It’s not happening. Amerijet customer DHL joins FedEx and UPS in the ranks of express carriers that have announced layoffs and layoffs.
Photo: Amerijet
Meanwhile, ATSG has recently undergone a change in its management team, with head of strategy Mike Berger taking over as president.
Although the cargo industry has been stagnant for the past few months, the decline is not expected to be long-term, and some airlines continue to grow. Recently, WorldACD data showed strong market performance in the Asia-Pacific region, with Boeing and Airbus predicting that demand for both factory-built and refurbished freighters will increase over the next decade. showed the prediction. Meanwhile, both Cathay Pacific Airways and Atlas Airways have made headlines in recent days after placing large orders for new cargo planes from Boeing and Airbus.
What do you think about Amerijet’s decision to park its cargo planes? Is this an issue with Amerijet or the cargo industry as a whole? Let us know in the comments.