Global Aviation Holdings Inc. (Global) was the

parent company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

World Airways World Airways, Inc. was a United States airline headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia in Greater Atlanta. The company operated mostly non-scheduled services but did fly scheduled passenger services as well, notably with McDonnell Douglas DC ...

, Inc. (World), and

North American Airlines North American Airlines, Inc., was a United States airline with its headquarters at the HLH Building in Peachtree City, Georgia in Greater Atlanta, United States. Prior to May 2008, it operated scheduled international services from the U.S. to Af ...

, Inc. (North American), headquartered in

Peachtree City, Georgia Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, Fayette County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta. P ...

, US. Its airline holdings included World and North American along with ATA Airlines until the parent company renamed from Global Aero Logistics to Global Aviation Holdings. ATA, World, and North American all were Part 121 U.S.-certified air carriers providing customized air transportation services for major international passenger and cargo carriers, international freight forwarders, the U.S. military, international leisure tour operators, and international corporations. On November 12, 2013, the company announced that it is once again filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, shut down World Airways, and sold the remaining assets of North American Airlines in 2014. The company had previously entered

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

bankruptcy on February 15, 2012, not long after shuffling assets and closing ATA Airlines. In 2008 Global emerged from bankruptcy on February 13, 2013.

Global Aviation Holdings circa 2008-2012

Global Aviation Holdings had combined revenues of more than $1 billion, 30 leased aircraft (most from

GECAS GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services) was an Irish–American commercial aviation financing and leasing company. AerCap acquired the company from GE Capital on November 1, 2021. GECAS was the largest commercial airline leasing/financing company in ...

and

ILFC The International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) was an aircraft lessor headquartered in the Constellation Place in Century City, Los Angeles, California, US. It was the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General El ...

), and more than 2,200 employees. Global Aviation Holdings provides services in the passenger, commercial passenger ad-hoc lease and

wet lease Aircraft leases are leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons: to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide tempora ...

charter, military-on-demand, and cargo charter ACMI markets through its two airline subsidiaries. Among Global Aviation Holdings' significant competitors in passenger transportation, that specialize in

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** AM ...

charter contracts and (ACMI) and charter markets, are

Omni Air International Omni Air International, LLC. is a United States charter airline headquartered in Hangar 19 on the grounds of Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. It specializes in passenger charter flights, and Aircraft Crew Maintenan ...

and

Ryan International Airlines Ryan International Airlines, Inc. was an American FAR 121 airline with domestic, flag, and supplemental authority. Synopsis and history Based at Chicago Rockford International Airport in Rockford, Illinois, the US Postal Service was once the a ...

. On the cargo side, Global Aviation Holdings operations performed by World Airways remain distant rivals to the vastly growing ABX Air's airline holdings operations and network which include the much smaller (ATI) Air Transport International and

Capital Cargo International Airlines Capital Cargo International Airlines, Inc. was a cargo airline based in Orlando, Florida, USA from 1995 to 2013. It provided on-demand and wet lease aircraft charter. Its main base was Orlando International Airport. It is owned by the Air Trans ...

, at one time fierce competitors for similar contracts. North American flew to the African continent with a link up to

Virgin Nigeria Air Nigeria (originally Virgin Nigeria Airways, and then Nigerian Eagle Airlines) was the national flag carrier of Nigeria, which operated scheduled regional and domestic passenger services. The airline's base was Murtala Mohammed International ...

Airlines, but all scheduled passenger service was discontinued in May 2008 as a result of the 2007-2008 fuel price rises. Global Aviation Holdings had substantial fleet operations transiting through Atlanta ATL, New York (JFK), Baltimore Washington BWI, Dallas Ft. Worth DFW and Houston (IAH) on a regular basis.

Fleet

As of May 2013, Global Aviation Holdings had 14

wide-body A wide-body aircraft, also known as a twin-aisle aircraft, is an airliner with a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles with seven or more seats abreast. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabi ...

transoceanic capable aircraft in its fleet: Global Aviation Holdings was expected to receive some

Airbus A330-200F The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner in the mid-1970s. Then the company began development on the A330 twinjet in parallel with the A340 ...

aircraft from an order placed by parent company

MatlinPatterson MatlinPatterson is a distressed securities fund that participates in Distressed securities, distressed and credit opportunities on a global basis. The firm was established in 2002 as a spinout from Credit Suisse First Boston. It is headquartered ...

prior to the closing of ATA Airlines.MatlinPatterson signs for six A330-200F
Airbus Press Centre, 28 January 2008 After the Boeing 757 was withdrawn from North American Airlines service, Global Aviation Holdings and North American Airlines became one of a small number airlines to operate only wide-body aircraft, much like its primary competitor

, which too has no

narrow-body aircraft A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than in width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with mult ...

. According to the referenced article in Businessweek, MatlinPatterson withdrew its Airbus order to resupply the Global fleet with newer technology widebody aircraft.

Destinations

As of May 2008, Global Aviation Holdings subsidiaries North American Airlines and World Airways did not offer any scheduled service. They operated flights into more than 120 countries in 2009.

History

Originally named AmTran (Holdings) prior to 2002 and based in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, the holding company's name was changed to ATA Holdings Corporation, for increased transparency and to attract financial investors after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

economic hardships that affected the industry. ATA Holdings was a

publicly traded A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (list ...

company. On April 8, 2004, ATA Holdings announced the sale of ATA Training Corporation to Aviation Institute of Maintenance in order to focus on the passenger and charter business. ATA Training provided training for aircraft technicians. It was founded in Indianapolis in 1992. ATA Holdings Corp. traded on the

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

as "ATAH" until the company filed bankruptcy proceedings in October, 2004. On April 5, 2007, New ATA Holdings, Inc., the successor company to ATA Holdings, changed its name to Global Aero Logistics Inc. (GAL). Shortly afterwards it announced the agreement to purchase

and

. Late in 2007, GAL quietly moved its headquarters to

, where World Airways is headquartered. Global Aero Logistics provides military and commercial air transportation charters throughout the world. * AMTRAN, INC. (Holdings) -------------------- 2002 * ATA Holdings Corp. --------------------------- 2003-2007 * Global Aero Logistics Inc. (Holdings) -- 2007-2009 * Global Aviation Holdings Inc. ------------ 2009–present According to an Indianapolis press release from Global Aero Logistics Inc., and North American airlines in 2006, the combined companies of North American, ATA, and World revenues were approximately

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

1.6 billion.

Bankruptcies

On October 26, 2004, ATA Holdings, Inc., the former parent company of ATA Airlines, filed voluntary petitions for relief under

of the United States Bankruptcy Code, along with seven of its

subsidiaries A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a sa ...

ATA Airlines ATA Airlines, Inc. – formerly known as American Trans Air and commonly referred to as ATA – was a United States low-cost scheduled service and charter airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ATA operated scheduled passenger flights ...

Chicago Express Airlines Chicago Express Airlines, Inc. was a regional airline headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It operated regional feeder services from Chicago Midway Airport under the name ATA Connection. On June 1, 1999, ATA Airlines acquired Chic ...

, ATA Cargo, ATA Leisure Corp., ATA Training Corp., Amber Travel, and ExecuJet. ATA Airlines logo 2001

The company and its subsidiaries continued for one and a half years to operate as debtors-in-possession under the jurisdiction of the

Bankruptcy Court United States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. The current system of bankruptcy courts was created by the United States Congress in 1978, effective April 1, 1984. United States bankruptcy c ...

, and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, the

Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (abbreviated Fed. R. Bankr. P. or FRBP) are a set of rules promulgated by the Supreme Court of the United States under the Rules Enabling Act, directing procedures in the United States bankruptcy courts. ...

and applicable court orders. On April 2, 2008, ATA Airlines filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and immediately ceased all operations. The

sibling A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separat ...

airlines continued to operate. With the decision to close ATA Airlines, the MatlinPatterson hedge fund in control of the remaining assets of ATA Airlines and World Air Holdings acquired the cargo carrier

Arrow Air Arrow Air was a passenger and cargo airline based in Building 712 on the grounds of Miami International Airport (MIA) in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. At different times over the years, it operated over 90 weekly schedul ...

. On February 5, 2012, Global Aviation Holdings, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Restructuring

After the company's bankruptcy filing on October 26, 2004, drastic measures were taken to turn the company around and make it profitable. As part of its

restructuring Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs. Other reasons ...

J. George Mikelsons Juris George Mikelsons ( lv, Georgs Juris Miķelsons) is a former airline executive and airline pilot in the United States and the founder of ATA Airlines. He was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1938 on the eve of World War II. His family fled to Germany ...

ATA's founder and director stepped away from the MatlinPatterson Global Aero Logistics firm, and the directorship of ATA named John G. Denison as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

in February 2005. Later that year, launched their first

codeshare A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

agreement, with

Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., typically referred to as Southwest, is one of the major airlines of the United States and the world's largest low-cost carrier. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has scheduled service to 121 destinations in the U ...

, which had been spearheaded earlier by Mikelsons. ATA also cut down its scheduled operations, most significantly from its former hub at

Chicago Midway International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...

. ATA sold Ambassadair Travel Club in 2004 to Grueninger Cruises and Tours, based in Indianapolis. On February 28, 2006, New ATA Holdings Inc. emerged from Chapter 11 United States Bankruptcy Protection.

Emergence of Global Aero Logistics

On April 5, 2007, Global Aero Logistics announced an agreement to acquire World Air Holdings, Inc. in a $315 million all-cash transaction. Simultaneously, New ATA Holdings officially announced their name had been changed to Global Aero Logistics, Inc., effective immediately, to reflect their diverse global operations and its recent acquisition of companies with the financial backing of the Matlin Patterson Global Opportunities investment firm. Terms of the $315 million deal were that Global Aero Logistics Inc. would operate ATA Airlines, North American Airlines, and World Airways under one umbrella (Global Aero Logistics) with each airline (ATA, North American, and World) operating independently when the transaction was completed in the third quarter of 2007. In 2007 the parent company of ATA said that it was changing its name to Global Aero Logistics Inc. and was acquiring the parent company of North American Airlines. ''

Pacific Business News American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

'' said during that year "There are interesting synergies between ATA and World Air Holdings.""ATA to buy World Air, North American Air." ''

''. Thursday April 5, 2007. Last modified on Friday April 6, 2007
1
Retrieved on September 12, 2011.

Management

* John Graber,

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

(CEO) of Global Aviation Holdings Inc. * Bill Garrett,

chief financial officer The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...

(CFO) of Global Aviation Holdings Inc. from MatlinPatterson. * Suzanne Mueller, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary * Brian Bauer, senior vice president and

chief marketing officer A chief marketing officer (CMO), also called a global marketing officer or marketing director, or chief brand officer, is a corporate executive responsible for managing marketing activities in an organization. Whilst historically these titles may ...

(CMO) of Global Aviation Holdings Inc. * James Casbarro, senior vice president, and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...

(COO) of North American Airlines * Eric Bergesen, senior vice president, and COO of World Airways

References

External links

Global Aviation Holdings' official website

ATA Airlines official website
(Archive)
North American Airlines official website

World Airways official website
{{Navbox Airlines of the United States Companies based in Indianapolis Airline holding companies of the United States Companies established in 2002 Privately held companies based in Georgia (U.S. state) Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 2002 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)