For more than 40 years the Wilmington Air Park has buzzed with activity as workers move freight, operate and maintain aircraft, and keep the airport running day and night.
Things have come a long way from the first early days of loading packages into small planes. Today, Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (ATSG) is a global leader in aircraft leasing and air cargo transportation services.
ATSG companies lease aircraft and provide airline operations, ground handling services, aircraft modification and maintenance services, and other support services to e-commerce companies, air express integrators, freight forwarders, and airlines around the globe. They are also the largest provider of passenger charter service to the U. S. Department of Defense and other government agencies.
Continued Growth
The company’s fleet now numbers over 100 aircraft and is on track to become the largest fleet in its history. It consists primarily of Boeing 767 freighters, which are in high demand because of their reliability, cubic cargo capacity, and durable performance. Mid-sized air freighters are the aircraft of choice for express and e-commerce driven regional air networks operating both within and outside the United States.
ATSG companies now employ more than 5,000 people around the world, including over 1,500 in Wilmington. They include accountants, administrators, analysts, dispatchers, engineers, flight attendants, instructors, loadmasters, mechanics, pilots, technicians, and many other critical roles.
Doing the Right Thing
Through the years, one thing has remained constant: the people of ATSG have always been committed to doing the right thing. It’s engrained in their work ethic and company culture. Doing the right thing means getting the job done correctly, safely, and on time. It means taking care of fellow workers and providing excellent service to customers.
Doing the right thing also means improving people’s lives through Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts. It means caring about the environment, about the social wellbeing of others, and about fairness, accountability, and transparency. While ATSG companies have engaged in many important ESG efforts over the years, they have recently begun to bring these efforts into sharper focus through formal strategy and processes so that ATSG continues to have a positive impact on the environment and the community.
Areas of focus during the prior year have been in fuel efficiency and emissions reduction, energy efficiency, resource use reduction, and social responsibility.
Fuel Efficiency and Emissions Reduction
The company has advanced the installation and use of technology on its aircraft that tracks and reduces fuel consumption through predictive maintenance practices and through optimization of the aircraft’s flight configuration.
ATSG’s airlines have expanded the use of flight planning software that uses real-time weather conditions to give flight crews better data about optimal flight altitudes and speeds, which can provide significant fuel and emissions savings.
Energy Efficiency
By installing more energy efficient HVAC equipment and replacing inefficient lighting fixtures with new LED retrofits in hangars and offices in Wilmington, Ohio and Tampa, Florida, the company has improved the light quality and safety throughout its hangars while reducing annual energy consumption by more than 20 percent.
Resource Use and Landfill Reduction
Paper, shipping materials, beverage and food containers are collected and sent to a local recycling processing company, keeping an estimated 945 cubic yards of commingled recyclables out of local landfills annually.
Scrap metal from aircraft and equipment operations is sent to local recyclers to be turned into new raw materials. In the past year, 33 tons of ferrous metals and 32 tons of non-ferrous materials were recycled through this process.
Used oil and jet fuel from aircraft and ground support equipment at the Wilmington Air Park is collected for local recycling. Last year, ATSG companies collected over 10,000 gallons of used oil and jet fuel for recycling.
Social Responsibility
ATSG employees continue to give generously to local and national charities through the company’s annual Fall Charity Drive. Their most recent drive raised more than $400,000 for charity. The number of employees contributing to the campaign increased by more than 50 percent year over year.
ATSG sponsored the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library in Clinton County, delivering age-appropriate books every month to the homes of children under the age of five. The Clinton County chapter performed above the state average by providing books to 41 percent of the county’s eligible children.
These are just some of the many initiatives that continue to demonstrate ATSG’s ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility, positioning the company for continued growth as a major employer in Clinton County and beyond.
