ATSG Sells Omni Air International to OAI Holdings for Undisclosed Sum, Deal Expected to Close by Early 2027
Why It MattersThe sale shows a cargo-focused lessor shedding a passenger ACMI unit to sharpen its portfolio around freight, leasing and maintenance, while the buyer bets on standalone growth in passenger charter capacity.
What happened
Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) has agreed to sell Omni Air International to OAI for an undisclosed sum. ATSG president and chief executive Greg Mays said the move is part of a strategy focused on "investing in and building out our core air cargo and related aviation services businesses."
Omni Air International operates a fleet of 14 aircraft: three B767-200ERs, eight B767-300ERs, and three B777-200ERs. Eleven of these aircraft are owned by ATSG through its leasing subsidiary Cargo Aircraft Management, while two B767-300ERs are owned by Team 125 and one B767-300ER is owned by AerCap. OAI said it intends to build on Omni Air International's established position in the passenger ACMI and charter markets while supporting the company's long-term development.
The transaction is pending regulatory approval and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 or early 2027. Upon closing, ATSG's remaining portfolio will be centred on air cargo transportation, aircraft leasing, and related maintenance and logistics services. ATSG was itself acquired last year by American investment firm Stonepeak in a transaction valued at approximately USD 3.1 billion, and its current portfolio includes ABX Air, ATI - Air Transport International, Cargo Aircraft Management, Airborne Global Solutions, Airborne Training Services, Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services, and PEMCO Conversions.
Industry impact & what to watch
This divestiture shows how a lessor under new private-equity ownership narrows its portfolio to the segment it wants to scale, moving a passenger ACMI and charter operation off books that are meant to concentrate on cargo, leasing and maintenance. Aircraft ownership in this deal is split across three parties: ATSG's own leasing arm, Team 125 and AerCap, which means the sale of Omni Air itself does not automatically transfer control of every airframe it flies, since leased aircraft carry separate ownership arrangements from the operating certificate changing hands.
How OAI finances and operates the carrier once it takes over, and whether it retains the existing lease terms with Team 125 and AerCap, will shape whether Omni Air keeps its current scale or shifts fleet composition. The clearest near-term marker is regulatory approval, which stands between the agreement announced now and the close targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026 or early 2027; that approval, and any conditions attached to it, will determine the final shape of both companies' portfolios.
