Maersk Air Cargo, a unit of integrated container shipping giant A.P. Moller – Maersk, is terminating its air transport contract with operator Amerijet after deciding to discontinue trans-Pacific flights with Boeing 767-300 freighter aircraft and rely on more efficient Boeing 777 jets.
Maersk’s all-cargo airline recently notified Amerijet that it will cease all operations on Feb. 28 and terminate its outsourced flight services agreement with Miami-based Amerijet one month before it was set to expire, said Joseph Batten, senior director of flight operations at Amerijet, said Wednesday in a letter to employees obtained by FreightWaves.
The decision by Maersk Air Cargo, which represents about 30% of Amerijet’s total flight hours, will force the U.S. carrier to furlough about 35 pilots, about 20% of its pilot workforce, at the end of next month, according to Batten’s message.
“This decision was not made lightly. We recognize the talent, dedication, and passion of our crew members, and we understand the uncertainty and impact this creates. Ultimately, this move is necessary to ensure the long-term viability of our organization,” Batten said.
A source at Amerijet, who was granted anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, said Maersk has decided to discontinue 767 operations between Asia and the United States because the planes aren’t suited for long-haul operations and that it plans to sell the three freighters sub-leased to Amerijet.
Amazon, which has a large fleet of Boeing 767-300s operated by partner carriers, is expected to buy the Maersk planes, according to an aviation industry source who follows aircraft trades and asked not to be named. Most Boeing 767s in the cargo market are former passenger planes that were converted to carry shipping containers in a second life, but the three Maersk aircraft are new, factory-built freighters. As such, they have decades of life remaining and a relatively high value.
Amerijet knew its partnership with Maersk would end soon. Maersk informed the carrier in September that it would not renew its contract, which was set to end on March 26.
Amerijet has been providing pilots and routine maintenance for Maersk’s air network since late 2022, operating scheduled service from China and South Korea to Maersk’s hubs at Chicago-Rockford International Airport (RFD) and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) in South Carolina. Maersk supplies the aircraft to Amerijet to fly on its behalf.
Last year, Maersk expanded its air network to South America, operating regular flights to Bogota, Colombia, and Santiago, Chile, as first reported by FreightWaves.
Maersk’s website no longer shows the routes operated by its owned aircraft. Amerijet is currently operating twice-weekly regular flights between RFD and Hangzhou, China, via Anchorage. Flights to South America ended late last year.
The Amerijet source said Maersk shut down the South America service because the cargo originates in China and requires multiple stops, including for refueling and crew changes, that potentially could be operated non-stop with the 777 freighters. Maersk currently operates two factory-built 777 freighters with its own crews, as well as seven other self-crewed 767-300s and nine 767-200s in Europe for express carriers such as UPS.
Maersk executives have previously said the large 777s will increase operating efficiency because of their ability to carry more goods than the 767, which is a medium widebody freighter.
The 767 was always an odd fit for Maersk’s transcontinental flying, but it did allow Maersk to jumpstart U.S.-based operations until it could build up 777 capability. Air cargo experts say the 767 is not great for long-haul routes compared with a 777, which is roughly twice the size of a 767 in terms of payload capacity. The 767 is best suited for regional routes with high utilization rates, especially in express parcel networks with high load factors.
The Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District has not received any flights from Asia this month and is waiting to hear from Maersk how it plans to refill the schedules from Asia in the spring or early, said Tom Tyra, GSP’s chief marketing and communications officer.
Maersk officials could not be reached by press time for comment.
Amerijet, which has seen business slow considerably and downsized its fleet since the spike in air cargo volumes during Covid, has 11 767-300s on its operating certificate, with one of them parked since mid-December, according to aircraft databases.
Amerijet to focus on Latin America
Amerijet is currently operating two freighters for UPS, which hired the airline to replace some of the capacity it lost when it was forced to ground its fleet of 27 MD-11 cargo jets following a deadly crash in early November. Amerijet is connecting the UPS hub in Louisville, Kentucky, with Miami and San Antonio on a daily basis. Amerijet is currently using two of the Maersk planes to provide shuttle service between Louisville and Chicago O’Hare airport and Louisville and Houston, according to Flightradar24.
Amerijet, which once had a fleet of about 22 aircraft, has also been hurt in recent years by the loss of contracts with the U.S. Postal Service, which is shifting more mail to cheaper ground transportation, and DHL Express. But CEO Joe Mozzali, who took over in late 2023, has navigated Amerijet back to profitability in the past year or more.
The carrier’s volumes fell 7% in the 12 months ended in October, but revenue per ton mile was flat and operating revenue increased 4% to $507 million, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Amerijet’s operating profit soared 140% to $36 million and net income improved to $5 million from a $47 million loss in the same period a year earlier.
“Despite the upcoming loss of Maersk, Amerijet will remain a very strong carrier in Latin America,” Mozzali, told FreightWaves via email. The carrier in 2025 moved nearly 264,500 tons of cargo through its hub at Miami International Airport, up 43% from the prior year.
Amerijet furloughs were issued on Wednesday in reverse order of seniority. The company offered voluntary leave to those who want it, which would reduce the number of pilots forced to take unpaid leave. Batten suggested further job cuts are possible.
“The company reserves the future right to downgrade and will review our operational needs on a quarterly basis,” he wrote.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
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