Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), which provides medium wide-body aircraft leasing, contracted air transportation and related services, has second quarter customer revenue up by 13% to $377.8 million.
ATSG's principal business segments, aircraft leasing and air transport, increased revenues by eight percent and 13%, respectively, before eliminations. Revenues from other businesses increased eight percent on the same basis.
Increased contributions from ATSG’s airlines, and from the increase in externally leased 767 freighters, drove the majority of the increase in Adjusted EBITDA.
ATSG’s first-half capital spending was $265.9 million, up 23%. Capital expenditures included $188.2 million for the purchase of seven 767 aircraft in the first half of 2020, and for freighter modification costs.
Rich Corrado, president and chief executive officer of ATSG, said, "ATSG’s airlines leveraged short-term charter and ACMI opportunities to mitigate substantial pandemic-related reductions in regular operations for the U.S. Department of Defense and commercial passenger customers to achieve strong revenue and earnings growth on an adjusted basis for the second quarter. Air cargo operations expanded with the deployment of one Boeing 767-300 freighter leased to Amazon and operated by Air Transport International, the first under a new order for twelve with the remaining eleven scheduled for lease to Amazon during 2021. We now expect to lease twelve 767-300 freighters in 2020 to external customers, up from the previous guidance of eight to ten. Near-term pandemic effects aside, ATSG remains a growing, thriving air transport business with substantial growth potential in the coming years."
In June, ATSG subsidiary Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM) agreed to lease twelve more Boeing 767-300 freighters to Amazon for ten-year terms. CAM delivered and ATI began operating one of the twelve in the second quarter; the remainder will be delivered throughout 2021. These are in addition to prior agreements for thirty 767 leases between CAM and Amazon, plus related airline operating agreements; the last four of the thirty will be delivered in the second half of 2020. Amazon was issued seven million warrants to purchase ATSG shares at an exercise price of $20.40 per share in connection with Amazon's June leasing commitment. Based upon existing leases and future lease commitments, ATSG projects to have leased thirty-one 767s to Amazon by the end of 2020, and forty-two by the end of 2021.
During the second quarter, Omni Air International (Omni) and Air Transport International (ATI) each received Treasury Department approval for grants of funds pursuant to the payroll support program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Omni was granted $67.1 million for anticipated employee-related costs due to the reduction in business from its U.S. military and commercial customers that have curtailed passenger transport services due to the coronavirus pandemic. On the same basis, ATI was granted $8.3 million under the program primarily due to pandemic-related curtailment of its combi service to remote military installations.
During the second quarter, after the expiration of ATI's Boeing 757 freighter operating agreements with DHL, ATSG decided to retire those four aircraft. Three of the 757 airframes have been removed from service and are available for sale. One will remain in service through 2020. Some of the 757 engines are being leased to external customers. A pre-tax impairment charge totalling $39.1 million was recorded in ATSG’s financial statements as of June 30, 2020, primarily reflecting the market value of these assets as well as other surplus engines and parts. The market value of these assets has been negatively impacted by the pandemic. The impairment does not affect CAM’s four Boeing 757 combi aircraft, which remain under contract with the Department of Defense.
Corrado said that "Overall, ATSG’s long-term outlook is very bright, with especially strong demand for our cargo aircraft from lease and ACMI customers around the globe. Our order book calls for us to modify and dry-lease at least twenty additional 767 freighters through 2021, while redeploying others to new customers. Our business model's emphasis on long-term cash flow streams from dry-leasing midsize cargo aircraft and focused passenger operations provides a solid financial foundation. When the pandemic fades, we expect to deliver even stronger results from our leasing, airline, aircraft maintenance and logistics operations.”
ATSG’s capital expenditures for 2020 are projected to be approximately $465 million. That includes purchases of eleven Boeing 767-300s this year for lease deployments.
Currently, ATSG expects to purchase three to five Boeing 767-300 aircraft in 2021.