ATSG reports strong growth in 2020

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WILMINGTON — Air Transport Services Group, Inc. reported Thursday consolidated financial results for the quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2020.

ATSG’s fourth quarter 2020 results, as compared with the fourth quarter of 2019 include:

• Customer revenues down $4.0 million to $399.4 million, and up $118.4 million to $1.57 billion for the year. Fourth quarter ACMI Services revenues were down $17.9 million due primarily to the effects of the pandemic on passenger operations for commercial customers and on combi aircraft flying for the U.S. Military. Aircraft leasing revenues for the quarter increased $9.3 million as a result of record deployments of leased Boeing 767s during 2020.

• Payroll expense were partially offset by federal CARES Act grant proceeds intended to mitigate pandemic effects at certain ATSG businesses.

• Reductions in contributions from ATSG’s airlines, principally due to pandemic-related reductions in passenger flying for commercial customers, as well as lower volumes of external aircraft maintenance business, offset higher contributions from ATSG’s aircraft leasing operations during the fourth quarter.

• Capital spending for 2020 was $510.4 million, up $56.9 million from 2019. Spending included $353.4 million for the acquisition of eleven Boeing 767-300 aircraft and freighter modification costs, versus $328 million in 2019. Spending for other equipment, including aircraft engines and components, increased $31.6 million.

Rich Corrado, president and chief executive officer of ATSG, said, “2020 was a very good year for ATSG and its family of companies despite the significant challenges of the pandemic. We delivered a record number of 767 cargo aircraft to a record number of lease customers, and flew more hours of passenger and cargo aircraft operations overall than ever before, and we delivered our best service performance of the year for our key customers during the peak season.

“However, the pandemic had a greater impact on our businesses in the fourth quarter than previously. We did not replace contracted passenger charter business with ad-hoc passenger flying to the degree we had in prior quarters, and continued to have limited access to certain combi destinations. We are grateful for the federal grant funds that have allowed us to retain employees despite impacts on our airline revenues. Those employees delivered superior customer service throughout the year, including record-setting performance levels during an exceptionally busy holiday season.”

In 2020, ATSG’s milestones included:

• Annual revenue increases from all of ATSG’s principal businesses.

• Record levels of Customer Revenues, Adjusted Earnings Per Share and Adjusted EBITDA.

• A record 11 deployments via external lease (and 13 leases overall) of newly converted Boeing 767 freighters, plus re-deployments of three other 767s. Two newly converted 767 freighters were leased internally to ATI.

• A broader base of lease customers, as CAM delivered aircraft to seven different lessees in five countries, including international customers Astral Aviation of Kenya, Aerotransportes Mas de Carga, S.A. de C.V. (MasAir) of Mexico, Raya Airways of Malaysia, and CargoJet of Canada.

• Investments in new technology to better track, record and monitor the performance of aircraft in flight, make proactive maintenance recommendations, and improve access to aircraft records.

• Strengthened balance sheet via a $500 million private offering of eight-year unsecured senior notes in January 2020, with proceeds used to pay down our revolving credit facility. That increased our available credit and reduced variable rates on our term loan and revolver balance. ATSG’s debt leverage declined throughout the year.

Significant Developments:

• CAM’s fourth quarter revenues, net of warrant-related lease incentives, increased 12 percent versus the prior year. Revenues increased primarily from eleven more converted 767-300 freighters in service at year-end. CAM’s revenues from external customers increased 28 percent for the fourth quarter versus the same prior-year period.

• ATSG’s total fleet consisted of 106 aircraft in service at the end of the fourth quarter, eight more than at the same point in 2019. Twenty were passenger aircraft, including four Boeing 757 combi aircraft, and 86 were cargo aircraft, including one Boeing 757 and 85 Boeing 767s.

• CAM owned 100 of ATSG’s total aircraft fleet. Four passenger 767s were leased to Omni Air by third parties and two 767 freighters were customer-provided for ATSG to operate. CAM-owned cargo aircraft dry-leased to external customers increased by eleven.

• Eight 767-300 aircraft were in or awaiting conversion to freighters at the end of 2020, the same number as at the end of 2019. CAM expects to lease eleven 767s to Amazon and at least four to other external customers in 2021.

• In 2020, CAM purchased two 767 freighters and nine 767 passenger aircraft for freighter modification, all for lease deployment in 2020 and 2021.

For the complete report, visit https://bit.ly/35NpkRN .

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