Polar Air Cargo


Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, is an American cargo airline based in Purchase, New York. It operates scheduled all-cargo services to North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Its main base is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, with hubs at Los Angeles International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Narita International Airport and Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea.

History

Polar was formed in 1993 as a joint venture between Southern Air Transport and GE Capital Aviation Services. It started operations in June 1993 and began with charter flights, later adding scheduled services. During 1994, Polar was certified as a supplemental air carrier by the Federal Aviation Administration and on 4 July 1994 as a US all-cargo carrier by the United States Department of Transportation. After several years of continued growth, the remainder of the company was acquired by GECAS.
In November 2001, Polar was acquired by Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, whose Atlas Air subsidiary is a provider of ACMI freighter leasing. Polar became the scheduled service provider for AAWW, while Atlas continued to supply Boeing 747-400 freighters on a wet-lease basis to major airlines. In October 2006, it was announced that DHL Express would be acquiring a 49% stake in Polar., Polar is still majority-owned by Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and has 736 employees.

Destinations

Scheduled services

Polar provides scheduled freight service covering the transpacific, transatlantic, trans-Asia, and Middle East markets. Polar offers frequent flights to China, connecting Shanghai to the United States and multiple points in Asia and Europe, e.g., Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany.

Charter services

Polar also offers charter freight services, using its dedicated fleet of Boeing 767 and 747 aircraft.

Fleet

The Polar Air Cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft :
AircraftIn FleetOrdersNotes
Boeing 747-400F6Operated by Atlas Air for DHL Express
Boeing 747-8F6Operated by Atlas Air for DHL Express
Boeing 767-300ERF4Operated by Atlas Air for DHL Express
Total16