Atlas Air Worldwide Holding buys final 4 B747s

Boeing and the Atlas Air Worldwide Holding announced on 12 January that both companies reached a deal for an order for four new B747-8Fs. The four will be the last newly built Jumbo's ever and will be delivered between May and October 2022 after which the production of the Queen of the Skies ends.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holding is the holding company for Atlas Air, Polar Air Cargo and Southern Air. It was founded in 1992 as an ACMI-carrier, launching operations with the B747-200. Polar Air Cargo was acquired in November 2001 and the airline became a separate entity in the newly formed Atlas Air Worldwide Holding. In January 2004, AAWH sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy-protection and emerged from this again in July 2004 after reorganising the company. In April 2016 Atlas Air bought Southern Air, including its subsidiary Florida West International Airways. This last airline was, however, discontinued in March 2017.

Currently, the Atlas Air Worldwide Holding fleet consists of 106 aircraft and they are the world's biggest B747-operators with 53 aircraft. Atlas Air itself operates eight B747-400s, 34 B747-400Fs and four B747-8Fs. Polar Air Cargo operates five B747-400Fs and six B747-8Fs.

Illustration by Boeing.