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Pure speculation on my part.

Atlas Air Worlswide is purchased by an investor group led by Apollo along with JF Lehman & Company and Hill Ciity Capital for $5.2B.

Atlas Air Worldwide becomes a privately held company.

John Dietrich former CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide bexomes EVP and CEO of FedEx Corp

FedEx Corp FY24 Q3 cash on-hand $6.3B

FedEx Corp announces Tricolor network plan to expand its air freight offerings to the much larger global air freight market beyond priority parcel shipments. This is to grow and capture more air freight (pallets) and less time sensitive e-commerce parcels.

My take, FedEx Corp will make a move to acquire Atlas Air Worldwide. JD was brought over to FedEx Corp to make this transition. This gives FedEx a hedge against Amazon. They get access to a fleet of 767 freighters which can't be built after 2028. They also get a few 777Fs and the 747s which are no longer produced.


Am I crazy?

How does D.E. Shaw fit in? They don't particularly concern themselves with the long game from what I read. They're more like those JG Wentworth commercials about "cash now". I think if they could get away with using the entire 6.3 for buybacks and running the shares to $400 they'd do that.

Aside from that, it sounds like a good theory.

Interesting thought... but doesn't Amazon have a significant option to increase their ownership of Atlas or was that some ACMI?... I can't remember the details... also very skeptical the government would go for it, especially with current commerce secretary. We shall see.

I don't think buying another airline is part of the DRIVE initiative.

So...Flying Tigers all over again?

Going to be a lot of Atlas alumni at FedEx that'll become junior to themselves, that's for sure.

I really don't see what Atlas has to offer that FedEx couldn't do themselves. Throw those old MD-11s on ACMI contracts or maybe buy some 777-300ERFs. Hire some of the sales people from Atlas and other ACMIs to import experience. There's really no secret sauce here (besdies competing on cost, which FedEx probably can't).

Just what we need, clapped-out converted 767s with hundred of thousands of hours and 30 years of service on them.


nah you’re not crazy. JD can look at an ACMI contract and tell whether the numbers are a good deal for or not so maybe you’re onto something with regards to the orange network and whatnot. Who the hell knows….

That all probably changed once Atlas went private.

sometimes… its best to keep our silly thoughts to ourselves.

I guess I shouldn’t say amalgamation then.

JD is a pro at it. If my worst fears are true, TA 1.0 was the best deal we would have ever had. The court system will be where our next contract comes from…. in 5 years.

Might as well guit now.