Ameriflight

Ameriflight LLC

Company type	Private
Industry	Cargo airline
Predecessor	California Air Charter
Founded	1968
Headquarters	Dallas/Fort Worth , United States
Area served	United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, South America
Key people	Gary Richards (former president and consortium leader)
Products	Cargo transport and feeder services
Owner	Consortium led by Gary Richards (as of 2007 divestment)
Number of employees	700+
Website	w3.ameriflight.com

Ameriflight LLC is a cargo airline based in the United States, with its headquarters located at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Recognized as the largest FAA Part 135 cargo operator nationwide, it conducts scheduled and contract freight services from 19 hubs to 250 destinations spanning 43 states, as well as Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. Ameriflight caters to prominent financial institutions, freight forwarders, laboratories, and overnight courier companies by offering feeder services that support domestic and international express delivery networks.

The airline averages approximately 525 flights daily, accumulating over 100,000 flight hours each year while achieving a punctuality rate of 99.5%. Its workforce exceeds 700 employees, including a team of 225 pilots and 140 maintenance technicians.

History

Established in 1968 under the name California Air Charter, the company’s first route—CalAir 103—transported bank mail and cancelled checks utilizing a Piper Cherokee Six (PA-32) aircraft from Hollywood-Burbank Airport to Riverside Municipal Airport and onward to Blythe Airport.

In 1971, the firm merged with United Couriers, which operated as a subsidiary of ATI Systems International (ATIS). The business grew through acquisitions, including the purchase of the fixed-wing segment of Wings Express in 1993 and full ownership of Sports Air Travel in 1997. Following Canadian security company Garda Security’s acquisition of ATIS in 2007, Ameriflight was divested to a consortium led by then-president Gary Richards.

In May 2014, Ameriflight shifted its headquarters and operational base to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Later that year, the company finalized the acquisition of Wiggins Airways, incorporating 48 aircraft and around 100 new employees. This strategic move established Ameriflight as the world’s largest regional air cargo carrier with a fleet totaling 163 aircraft.

Flight services

Ameriflight specializes in feeder cargo operations for leading integrators such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL. Additional significant customers include Lantheus Medical Imaging, ACS Products, and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. Operating according to client-defined schedules, Ameriflight transports freight from large jet freighters at central hubs to smaller markets that cannot accommodate larger planes. Return trips consolidate freight from these smaller locations back to major hubs for further distribution.

Despite digital advancements reducing the need for transporting financial documents, Ameriflight continues to handle critical shipments like pharmaceuticals, medical specimens, film requiring development, and various other cargo types.

Importantly, Ameriflight holds a unique U.S. Department of Transportation authorization as a Part 135 operator permitted to carry high Transport Index radioactive materials. This authorization enables the airline to support urgent nuclear medicine supply chains by transporting radioactive "generator" materials used in diagnostic imaging and cancer treatments between manufacturing and production facilities.

In addition to its scheduled operations, all Ameriflight bases facilitate unscheduled on-demand cargo flights throughout Alaska, Canada, the contiguous United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. The airline previously operated a single King Air 200 for passenger charter services; however, this aircraft has since been retired.

Current

As of November 2024, Ameriflight operates the following aircraft in its fleet:

Aircraft	Number in Service	Orders Pending	Maximum Payload
Beechcraft Model 99	52 (as of August 2025)	0	3,500 lb
SA227 Metroliner	31	0	4,900 lb
Beechcraft 1900C	26 (as of August 2025)	0	5,800 lb
Saab 340B	4 (as of August 2025)	0	7,500 lb
Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia	12 (as of August 2025)	0	8,000 lb
Total	139	0	—

Former fleet

Aircraft	Quantity Previously Operated	Year Retired	Additional Information
Cessna 402	4	2005
Cessna 208 Caravan	4	1992
Dassault Falcon 20	2	1995
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter	6	1990
King Air 200	1	2015	Used for charter operations
Learjet 35A	5	2011
Mitsubishi MU-2	1	1987
Piper PA-31 Navajo	42	2019
Total retired types! 33!

Accidents and incidents

12 February 1999 AMF1902 'Beechcraft C99 crashed during a positioning flight in the White Mountains; pilot was fatally injured. 14 October 1999 AMF121 'A Piper PA-31-350 collided with terrain near North Las Vegas Airport following failure to maintain proper visual flight rules separation; pilot died. 29 November 2003 AMF1966 'A Fairchild Metro III crashed on approach to Felts Field under poor visibility conditions; pilot fatality linked to late descent and deviation from glide slope. 18 March 2006 AMF2591 'Beechcraft C99 crashed near Butte, Montana due to incorrect execution of instrument approach procedures; both pilots perished. 17 December 2007 - 'A Beechcraft Model 99 sustained damage after landing short at Vernal Regional Airport amid low visibility conditions. 22 September 2009 - 'A Fairchild Merlin IV-C collided with a stationary Cessna at Eppley Airfield; no injuries reported. 4 November 2009 - 'A Beechcraft Model 99 was struck by a bird causing injury to the pilot but managed a safe landing at Show Low Regional Airport. 6 January 2010 - 'The Beechcraft Model 99 suffered damage from a hard landing at Kearney Regional Airport, potentially related to icing conditions. 10 March 2011 AMF1951 'A Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner experienced runway excursion at Boeing Field due to wind shear; no injuries resulted. 30 June 2015 - 'A Beechcraft Model 99 crashed shortly after takeoff from Salt Lake City International Airport; both pilots escaped unharmed. 6 February 2018 - 'A Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner went off runway at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport without injuries. 15 November 2022 AMF7141 'A Fairchild SA227-AT belly-landed short of the runway at Waukesha County Airport carrying crew, a passenger, and cargo dogs; only minor injuries reported. 7 October 2024 AMF1685 'A Beechcraft Model 99 crashed shortly after departing Norfolk Regional Airport in Nebraska; the sole pilot was killed.

Date	Flight Number	Summary
15 September 1989	AMF1952	'A Piper PA-31-350 experienced engine failure and crashed near Ontario International Airport; the pilot was killed after loss of control caused by propeller separation.
03 March 1994	AMF107	'A Piper PA-31-350 crashed close to Mount Pinos due to the pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance during nighttime; resulting in a fatality.
16 November 1994
'A Beechcraft Model 99 crashed near Avenal, California, with suspected pilot incapacitation; the pilot did not survive.
23 December 1995
'Flight designated "135.297 instrument competency check" crashed near Oakland Airport owing to air traffic control errors and crew situational awareness lapses; two fatalities occurred.
13 August 1997	AMF262	'An overloaded Beechcraft 1900 stalled and crashed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport due to incorrect cargo weight information; aircraft was destroyed.

External links

• Official site