Category Archives: Omni Air International

Omni Air International is now operating European routes for MIAT Mongolian Airlines

Omni Air International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group, Inc. has announced that it has begun operating scheduled routes between Asia and Europe under an ACMI service agreement with MIAT Mongolian Airlines, the national airline of Mongolia. The agreement runs from June 20 through August 14, 2023.

An Omni-operated Boeing 767-300ER will connect Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with Frankfurt Airport in Germany and Istanbul Airport in Turkey, each three times a week.

“We are pleased that MIAT has selected Omni’s Airline Capacity Management Integration services to maintain their route network during the peak summer season while they await delivery of a Boeing 787-9 aircraft,” said Robert Jared, vice president of business planning and strategy at Omni. “This is an example of how our revolutionary 360-degree solution makes it easy for airlines to augment their fleet on short notice and with no disruption in service.”

ATSG enters commitment with EFW for 29 Airbus A330P2F conversions

Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (ATSG), the world’s largest lessor of freighter aircraft, has committed to a total of 29 Airbus A330 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversion slots with Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), center of excellence for Airbus freighter conversions and a joint venture between ST Engineering and Airbus.

The commitment of 29 A330P2F reflects a strategic step by ATSG to diversify its existing in-service fleet of 117 aircraft with the addition of next generation wide-body freighters.

“The A330-300 passenger-to-freighter conversion is a natural next step for ATSG as it is an excellent complement to the Boeing 767-300 medium wide-body freighter, which has long been the freighter of choice for the e-commerce air cargo market,” stated Mike Berger, chief commercial officer of ATSG. “The availability of feedstock combined with impressive cargo capacity make the A330 a very attractive option for conversion and will enable ATSG to continue to meet the demands for full-capacity freighters long into the future. The customer response to the news that we will have A330-300 freighters available for lease has been exceptionally strong, and we already have customer deposits toward future leases for half of these 29 converted freighters.”

A330P2F conversions for ATSG will be performed from mid-2023 through 2027 mainly at EFW’s facility in Dresden, Germany

ATSG committs with Elbe Flugzeugwerke to a total of 29 A330P2F conversions, f.l.t.r.: Wolfgang Schmid, VP Sales & Marketing; Rich Corrado, President & CEO ATSG, Mike Berger, CCO ATSG

The A330P2F conversions for ATSG will be performed from mid-2023 through 2027 mainly at EFW’s facility in Dresden, Germany, and also at ST Engineering’s conversion sites in China. Multiple conversions will be carried out in parallel.

Similar to the latest conversion programmes, A321P2F and A320P2F, the A330P2F program is a collaboration between ST Engineering, Airbus and EFW, which is leading the overall programme as well as marketing & sales efforts. To meet the rising demand for freighter conversions, ST Engineering and EFW are setting up new conversion sites in China and the U.S. this year, and are ramping up conversion capacity for all their Airbus P2F programmes to about 60 slots per year by 2024.

The A330P2F program comes with two variants – the A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F – which are both equipped with advanced technology that offer airlines additional operational and economic benefits. The A330-200P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 61 tons of weight to over 7,700 km. The A330-300P2F offers a gross payload of up to 63 tons and a containerised volume of up to ~18,581ft³ (~526m³), which brings a new paradigm of efficiency with 23% more cargo volume than other freighter aircraft in the same class.

Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) is a joint venture between ST Engineering and Airbus.

Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) is a leading provider of aircraft leasing and cargo and passenger air transportation and related services to domestic and foreign air carriers and other companies that outsource their cargo and passenger air lift requirements. ATSG, through its leasing and airline subsidiaries, is the world’s largest lessor of freighter aircraft as well as the largest owner and operator of converted Boeing 767 freighters. Through its principal subsidiaries, including three airlines with separate and distinct U.S. FAA Part 121 Air Carrier certificates, ATSG provides aircraft leasing, air cargo lift, passenger ACMI and charter services, aircraft maintenance services and airport ground services. ATSG’s subsidiaries include ABX Air, Inc.; Airborne Global Solutions, Inc.; Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, Inc., including its subsidiary, Pemco World Air Services, Inc.; ATI-Air Transport International, Inc.; Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc.; and Omni Air International, LLC.

Omni Air International celebrates 28 years of flying with a new logo

Omni Air International on August 9, 2021 celebrated 28 years of operations.

To mark the occasion, the airline has updated its logo.

Omni Air International aircraft slide show:

18 civilian aircraft in the CRAF program are activated for refugee evacuation

The Civil Reserve Air Fleet is an important aspect of the United States’s mobility resources.

Selected long-range aircraft from U.S. airlines, are contractually committed to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).

The selected aircraft support the United States Department of Defense (DOD) airlift requirements during emergencies when the need for airlift exceeds the capability of military aircraft.

The DOD issued this statement:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered the Commander of U.S. Transportation Command to activate Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). CRAF activation provides the Department of Defense access to commercial air mobility resources to augment our support to the Department of State in the evacuation of U.S. citizens and personnel, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other at-risk individuals from Afghanistan.

The current activation is for 18 aircraft: three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines. The Department does not anticipate a major impact to commercial flights from this activation.

CRAF activated aircraft will not fly into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. They will be used for the onward movement of passengers from temporary safe havens and interim staging bases. Activating CRAF increases passenger movement beyond organic capability and allows military aircraft to focus on operations in and out of in Kabul.

CRAF is a National Emergency Preparedness Program designed to augment the Department’s airlift capability and is a core component of USTRANSCOM’s ability to meet national security interests and contingency requirements. Under CRAF, the commercial carriers retain their Civil Status under FAA regulations while USTRANSCOM exercises mission control via its air component, Air Mobility Command.

This is the third CRAF activation in the history of the program. The first occurred in support of Operations Desert Shield/Storm (Aug. 1990 to May 1991), and the second was for Operation Iraqi Freedom (Feb. 2002 to June 2003).

The DOD’s ability to project military forces is inextricably linked to commercial industry, which provides critical transportation capacity as well as global networks to meet day-to-day and contingency requirements. Utilizing commercial partners expands USTRANSCOM’s global reach as well as access to valuable commercial intermodal transportation systems.

The Secretary greatly appreciates the support of our industry partners in this critical mission.

American Airlines commented on the assignment:

The U.S. Department of Defense notified American Airlines that it has activated Stage 1 of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). Starting Monday, American will be ready to deploy three wide body aircraft to military bases and other secure transit points on the Arabian Peninsula and in Europe to assist with the emergency evacuation of U.S. citizens and refugees coming from Kabul, Afghanistan.

American is part of the CRAF program and is proud to fulfill its duty to help the U.S. military scale this humanitarian and diplomatic rescue mission. The images from Afghanistan are heartbreaking. The airline is proud and grateful of our pilots and flight attendants, who will be operating these trips to be a part of this life-saving effort.

American will work to minimize the impact to customers as the airline temporarily removes these aircraft from our operation. The airline appreciates customers’ patience and understanding as it works to accommodate flights.

Delta Air Lines issued this statement:

The US Department of Defense (DoD) activated Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, calling for Delta and other carriers to support the military’s effort to carry people who have left Afghanistan.

Sunday morning, the US Department of Defense (DoD) activated Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), calling for Delta and other carriers to support the military’s effort to carry people who have left Afghanistan.

Delta has been in contact with the DoD for several days leading up to the call for CRAF and is scheduled to have multiple relief flights arriving back in the United States beginning Monday morning. The airline will operate using available spare aircraft, meaning Delta’s commercial operations are not currently impacted.

“For decades, Delta has actively played a role in supporting the US Military and our troops,” said John Laughter, Delta EVP and Chief of Operations. “And we are again proud to pledge Delta people and our aircraft in support our country’s relief efforts.”

Delta will not fly directly into Afghanistan but instead stage aircraft at various military bases and provide onward flights for passengers.

Delta routinely provides transport for US troops moving between the US and international locations through its Charter Operations group.

The airline was last tapped to provide significant military support via CRAF in 2002 in the ramp-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Atlas Air issued this statement:

The Department of Defense has activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to call upon Atlas Air and other U.S. airlines to support the evacuation of U.S. citizens and refugees from Afghanistan.

We will be flying passenger aircraft to carry the evacuees safely to the U.S. and will be standing by should additional capacity be needed.

As the largest supplier of airlift to the U.S. military, we are proud to provide this essential passenger service in the region at this critical time.

Atlas is a company that cares for the world we carry, and our team feels a tremendous sense of responsibility in serving the needs of the U.S. military and our nation.

Omni Air Boeing 767-300ER suffers a landing gear incident at Bucharest

Omni Air International Boeing 767-300, registered as N423AX, operating as flight OY703 from Kabul, Afghanistan to Bucharest, Romania on August 28 with 49 passengers and 15 crew suffered a left main gear collapse on the roll out.

The aircraft skidded down the runway and all passengers and crew members were evacuated with the emergency chutes. No injuries were reported.

Video:

Omni Air aircraft photo gallery:

Omni Air International flight attendants ratify their first contract

Flight Attendants at charter airline Omni Air International, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have voted by 78 percent to ratify a first contract. The agreement provides immediate pay raises, defined schedule and work rules as well as job security with due process.

Omni Air International, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, operates international and domestic passenger charters. In addition, Omni Air also provides cargo and troop airlift for the U.S. military. The contract was reached with the assistance of the National Mediation Board.

Caribbean Airlines arrives in London with help of Omni Air International

Caribbean Airlines (Port of Spain) has brought the “BW” code back to London. Previously BWIA West Indies Airways (Port of Spain) dropped the route five years ago. The flag carrier launched twice-weekly Port of Spain-London (Gatwick) service on June 14 (arriving at LGW on June 15) with a wet leased Boeing 767-300 from Omni Air International-OAI (Tulsa). Caribbean is leasing the aircraft from Omni for the route pending the delivery of two Boeing 767-300s (msn 26327 and 27597) from LAN Airlines (Santiago).

According to the Trinidad Express the first flight was 65 percent filled.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

In other news, Caribbean Airlines will terminate the Air Jamaica (Kingston) route linking Montego Bay and Philadelphia on July 1.

Caribbean:

BWIA:

Omni Air International:

Air Jamaica:

Omni Air International puts its first Boeing 777 into service

Omni 777-222/ER N918AX Atlanta, originally uploaded by Chris Goodwin.

Omni Air International (Tulsa) announced on June 7 it had received U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Commercial Airlift Review Board (CARB) approval to provide Boeing 777-200 ER passenger airlift services for the DOD. Omni is the first U.S. registered non-scheduled airline to operate the Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft in passenger service. A second aircraft will be added to the company’s certificate in mid July, 2011.

Omni first received CARB approval to transport passengers in February 1999, and has since moved over 5 million military troops in support of scheduled, contingency, exercise, and R and R mission requirements.

The DOD’s Commercial Airlift Division (CAD) is mandated by public law and DOD directive to continuously monitor and oversee commercial air carriers that perform this business for the DOD.

According to the airline, “Omni is in its 19th year as a successful non-scheduled airline with global operating experience. Omni has operated to more than 75 countries, with 60,000 flights totaling more than 300,000 flight hours with a fleet of Boeing 767-300, Boeing 757-200 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 extended range aircraft.”

Omni Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Chris Goodwin. Formerly operated by United Airlines as N789UA, this 777-222 ER has become N918AX (msn 26935) and has also become the first Triple Seven on the Omni certificate.

Omni AIr International adds its first Boeing 777, receives FAA approval to operate it

Omni Air International-OAI (Tulsa) added its first Boeing 777-200 in May. Formerly operated by United Airlines, Boeing 777-222 ER N918AX (msn 26935, ex N789UA) is now operational.

Yesterday (May 31) Omni announced it had received FAA approval to operate the 777 aircraft including 180-minute ETOPS authority.

Omni becomes the first US registered non-scheduled airline to operate the Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft in passenger service. A second aircraft will be added to the company’s certificate in mid-July.

Omni continues its commitment to fleet modernization which began two years ago with the acquisition of the Boeing 767-300 ER.

Founded in 1993, Omni is in its 19th year as a non-scheduled airline. According to the airline, Omni has operated to more than 75 countries, with 60,000 flights totaling more than 300,000 flight hours with a fleet of Boeing 767-300, Boeing 757-200, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 aircraft. Its customers include both US and foreign governments and commercial airlines and other entities with a need to move passengers around the globe.

Photo of the new Boeing 777 (Malcolm Nason): CLICK HERE

Omni Slide Show: CLICK HERE