ABX Air
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cargo airline |
| Predecessor | Airborne Express |
| Founded | April 1980 |
| Founder | Airborne Freight Corporation (acquisition of Midwest Air Charter) |
| Headquarters | Wilmington, Ohio , United States |
Area served | United States, Asia, Jamaica |
Key people | Joe Hete (former CEO) |
| Products | Scheduled services, on-demand charters, ACMI freight operations, flight support and training programs |
| Owner | Air Transport Services Group |
Number of employees | 7,600 (2007) |
| Parent | Air Transport Services Group |
ABX Air, Inc., previously known as Airborne Express, is a cargo airline based at Wilmington Air Park close to Wilmington, Ohio, United States. ABX Air provides scheduled services, on-demand charters, and ACMI freight operations, alongside flight support and training programs. The company is a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group.
The airline’s main client is DHL, for whom it transports the majority of its cargo. Numerous ABX aircraft display DHL’s distinctive yellow and red livery.
Additionally, ABX Air operated cargo routes for Air Jamaica between Miami and Jamaican destinations such as Montego Bay and Kingston, utilizing Boeing 767-200 aircraft to replace older Douglas DC-8 models.
History
Established in April 1980 when Airborne Freight Corporation acquired Midwest Air Charter, the airline commenced operations that same year under the name Airborne Express as a fully owned subsidiary of Airborne Freight Corporation headquartered in Seattle. Besides air freight services, it also offered airframe maintenance. By March 1995, the workforce numbered approximately 5,500 employees. In January 1996, the company procured 12 Boeing 767 planes intended for conversion into freighters.
On August 16, 2003, following the merger between DHL and Airborne, ABX Air was spun off as a public entity; DHL retained ground operations while divesting its air operations into ABX Air Inc., which became publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol ABXA. In early 2007, ABX entered into an ACMI contract with All Nippon Airways to operate cargo flights across Asia using two Boeing 767-200SF aircraft. By March of that year, employee numbers had risen to 7,600.
On November 2, 2007, CEO Joe Hete and the board revealed the $350 million purchase of Cargo Holdings International—the parent company of both Air Transport International and Capital Cargo International Airlines. The acquisition was finalized on December 31, 2007, after which ABX Air was restructured beneath a holding company that was subsequently named Air Transport Services Group (ATSG).
DHL announced its intention to withdraw from the U.S. domestic market on November 10, 2008; prior strategies had included outsourcing to United Parcel Service. Nevertheless, on March 30, 2010, ATSG secured long-term contracts with DHL ensuring that ABX Air would continue providing air transport services for DHL’s U.S. international network segment.
Fleet
As of , ABX Air's fleet consists of:
| Aircraft | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Boeing 767-200BDSF | 8 |
| Boeing 767-300BDSF | 15 |
| Total | 23 |
Former fleet
In the past, ABX Air operated the following aircraft types:
- McDonnell Douglas DC-8 models (61, 62, 63, 63F)
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9 variants (15, 31, 32, 32F, 33F, 41)
- NAMC YS-11A-200
Incidents and accidents
- On December 22, 1996, an Airborne Express Douglas DC-8-63F (Flight 827) crashed near Narrows, Virginia during a stall test conducted after modifications; all six crew members aboard lost their lives.
- On June 29, 2008, a Boeing 767 parked at San Francisco International Airport was destroyed by fire caused by a wiring fault associated with the oxygen system design. The NTSB investigation attributed responsibility to both the FAA and ABX Air.