L'imad weighs up bid for cargo carrier Atlas Air

Abu Dhabi's L'imad Holding has emerged as one of the companies considering a bid for airfreight giant Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Quoting people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg last week reported that the sovereign investment platform is considering a bid in order to expand its presence in the logistics market. The bid is also driven by Abu Dhabi's efforts to provide alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed since the outbreak of the US-Iran war. The company is currently owned by private equity firm Apollo and Bloomberg's sources expect the company to be valued at around $10bn. The news that the freighter giant could be sold doesn't come as too much of a surprise. In December last year, reports emerged that Apollo was considering the potential sale of the company. At the time, the company was valued at around $12bn, including debts. An investor group led by US investor Apollo Global completed the purchase of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings in March 2023 in a deal with an enterprise value of $5.2bn or an equity value of $2.9bn. Atlas Air Worldwide provides outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services and is the parent company of freighter operators Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo and lessor Titan Aviation. Atlas claims its subsidiary companies operate the world's largest fleet of 747 freighter aircraft as well as 777 and 767 aircraft for domestic, regional and international cargo and passenger operations. It recently placed an order for 20 next-generation Airbus A350 freighters as it moves beyond a dedicated Boeing fleet. Services include ACMI, CMI, scheduled operations, charter operations and dry leasing. The sale comes as Atlas management has been suggesting a shortage of widebody freighters will hinder the air cargo industry over the coming 10 years and potentially beyond. If the prediction proves correct, Atlas would be in a good position to capitalise on the development given its large widebody fleet.

News in Brief Podcast | Week 38 2026 | Transpacific rates and airfreight reshuffle

Transpacific freight rates are on the rise - but is capacity really the problem? This week, Stephanie Loomis of Noatum Logistics joins us to unpack the latest rate increases, booking risks and service reliability, as well as the shifting outlook for Asia-Europe trade and global vessel capacity. Plus, The Loadstar publisher Alex Lennane looks at the latest upheaval in airfreight, from Amazon's network reshuffle to airlines redrawing freighter routes amid tight aircraft availability. And we explore whether shippers are outgrowing the traditional 3PL model. All this and more, in under 20 minutes on this week's News in Brief Podcast!

Plans for new US cargo airline in progress

Plans for a new US Part 121 cargo airline based at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) are in progress, according to one air cargo professional. Outlining the plans for the new airline in a LinkedIn post on 21 September, Andrew Maas, vice president of government programmes for Naniq Government Services, said that recruitment is currently ongoing for key positions within the new business. These include a director of operations and chief pilot, for what is anticipated to be Boeing 737-800 freighter operations. "Beyond the required qualifications, we're looking for leaders who are energized by the opportunity to build and shape an operation from the ground up -- including certification, manuals, processes, systems, organizational structure, team development, and operational readiness," said Maas. "Experience with Boeing 737-800 aircraft and cargo airline operations would be especially valuable." Plans for the new airline come as CVG has been focusing on building up its air cargo capabilities at its Global Logistics Park to increase volumes. Last year, the first development at the Global Logistics Park opened, an 80,000 sq ft air cargo facility operated by F&F. In 2022, CVG had demolished old cargo facilities to make way for new infrastructure to enable cargo carriers and freight forwarders to move products more efficiently. Then in May the following year, CVG and Burrell Aviation Cincinnati said they planned to build an 80,000 sq ft air cargo warehouse facility with airside access on approximately 4.5 acres of airport property. Other cargo developments at CVG in recent years have included a $192m DHL Express expansion, including a new aircraft maintenance facility, and a $1.5bn Amazon Air hub.