Atlas Air pax only 74s @ IAH?
 

There were 2, now 4, 747-400s in Atlas Air paint schemes. One has an N number that indicates that it used to belong to United Airlines. None have cargo doors. these are not combis. All have the long megatop hump back.

So Atlas guys are you about to start flying pax?

They have had a contract for over a year flying for SonAir between Houston and Angola. The aircraft (at least two) are owned by the Oil Group they are flying for. FWIW... they are also getting into the pax business with AMC.

The UA registered tails (2) are on lease and flying AMC (troops) until the 767's go online later this year. The possibility exists that the leases will be extended or converted. The 5 others, as noted are configured for a very nice service between Lagos and Houston on a long term contract.

What's gonna happen next? Who knows. When you have a management team that came from outside the industry, that understands how to market and properly price a product, not put all their eggs in one basket and make a lot of money at the same time they are buying more planes???

Stay tuned.

Alright, let me clear this up. The two gold ones belong to SonAir and are flown by Atlas crews in an CMI contract, IAH to LAD and back, three times a week.

The one blue one with N194UA on it, is an United plane leased to Atlas to get into the AMC pax business. It will be returned at the end of the year, unless they end up extending the lease. THERE ARE NO plans to convert this plane on Atlas's part. It is an old P&W powered plane, not the type Atlas is interested in.

I do not know what the forth plane was. We have had some cargo charters going into IAH lately, may be the other bird you saw in Atlas colors.

The United plane will be replaced with a JAL -400 that is in HKG for conversion to AMC seating arrangement. Rumor has it that there is a second JAL -400 that will be joining the Atlas fleet in early 2012.

These have nothing to do with the 767's. They will be doing their own flying with AMC.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know you guys flew pax. The planes that I saw at IAH all had GE engines.

As far as the Lagos flying goes, I think a few years ago World flew some MD-11 combis on that route for some scheduled airline. They flew twice a week, I think. Loaded up the passengers at terminal D.

Not Lagos, LAD is Luanda, Angola. The company that World flew the MD-11 for was Sonair, the same company that Atlas now flys the contract for (see Whaledrivers avatar for a picture of the Atlas/Sonair scheme!)

Rest assured, if you saw an UA "N" number on a 747-400, it was P&W's.

Yeah, I think the old air service was called Air Luanda.

What you saw in IAH this past week:

-2 GOLD 747-400's are for Sonair ("Houston Express") to Luanda, Angola N263SG & N322SG

-1 Atlas Air painted 747-400 for AMC charters. PAX, P&W powered, ex-United bird. N194UA

-1 Atlas Air painted 747-200F. N524MC

Thanks, I missed the -200F. A lot of your planes on one ramp. "Houston Express" also sounds familar. Do you guys load at terminal D?