Reflecting the growth in demand for air cargo services, Atlas Air Worldwide announced late last month that it will be acquiring a new 747-8 freighter from Boeing with delivery scheduled for November 2015. The company intends to deploy the aircraft in charter operations before placing it in longer-term ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) service, an outsourcing arrangement.

Atlas also announced it is returning a parked Boeing 747-400 converted freighter to active service and has entered into a short-term operating lease for a second 747-400 converted freighter.

“We are seeing good demand for airfreight and for our aircraft and services,” said William J. Flynn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Air Worldwide. “We are also working closely with our customers to provide them with the most efficient aircraft to meet their needs.”

Atlas had earlier announced the placement of a Boeing 747-400 freighter into ACMI service for the benefit of DHL Express. “We are pleased to support the continuing growth of DHL’s global network operations,” said Flynn. “The new aircraft will enable an increase in service to Shenzhen, China.”

Atlas has also expanded its Titan Dry Leasing portfolio by acquiring two Boeing 767 aircraft. These will be leased to DHL Express following their conversion from passenger to freighter configuration in the fourth quarter of this year. They complement a Boeing 757 Freighter recently dry leased to DHL by Titan following the conclusion of a previous customer lease. Dry leasing refers to the provision of an aircraft without aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance.

By the end of this year, Atlas Worldwide expects its cargo operations to include ten 747-8Fs and 23 747-400 freighters. It also expects to have two 747-400s and three 767-300s providing passenger service to the U.S. military and other charter customers.

In addition, the company expects to operate at least 18 customer-owned aircraft in its CMI (crew, maintenance and insurance) operations. These operations include four 747 Large Cargo Freighters for Boeing, two VIP-configured 747-400 passenger aircraft for SonAir, eleven 767 freighters for DHL Express, and one VIP-configured 767 passenger aircraft for MLW Air.

In Dry Leasing, the company anticipates its portfolio to include 11 aircraft, including six 777 freighters, two 767 freighters, one 757 freighter, one 737 freighter, and one 737 passenger aircraft.