Air Transport International
Capt. Karl Kuga (Air Transport International) is interviewed by the news media during the pilots’ picket in San Diego, Calif. Photo: Valeria Karpova
At A Glance
Pilots joined ALPA: 2009
Number of pilots: Approximately 600
Pilot bases: Home-based
Primary customers: Amazon and the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command
Headquarters: Wilmington, Ohio
Operations: A subsidiary of ATSG, Air Transport International operates primarily in scheduled operations with Amazon and the Air Mobility Command, as well as occasional air cargo charter operations.
Fleet: 4 B-757-200 combis and 43 B-767-300Fs, as well as 3 B-767s as spares
For more than four years, Air Transport International (ATI) pilots have been in contract negotiations. ATI is owned by Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (ATSG), which was bought by Stonepeak, a private equity firm, at the end of 2024. Although ATI operates the largest fleet for Amazon and delivers an impressive 98 percent on-time performance, the pilots are still working under an outdated contract.
“Because our contract lags significantly behind those of our peers, many ATI pilots are choosing to leave the company and sometimes the piloting profession,” said Capt. Mike Sterling, the pilot group’s Master Executive Council (MEC) chair. “In just the last year, 121 pilots have left—almost one-fifth of the pilot group. This has affected not only the operation, but also our ability to fill volunteer positions within the union.”
While management stonewalls at the negotiating table, the pilots have brought their message to the public with strategic precision, targeting high-visibility events, including an air show sponsored by ATSG in Dayton, Ohio, and the CargoFacts Symposium in San Diego, Calif., coupled with an ongoing aggressive social media campaign. The message is clear: ATI pilots are tired of waiting.
“ATI pilots have been in mediated negotiations for the past year, and yet ATSG continues to drag its heels,” Sterling remarked. “ATSG reaps the benefits of our contributions, while failing to recognize—and reward—the professionalism, performance, and worth of this pilot group.”
