Continues to Expect Closing of Pending Sale of the Company to Investor Group in 1Q23
Full-Year 2022 Results
Fourth-Quarter 2022 Results
PURCHASE, N.Y., February 23, 2023 – Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AAWW) today announced full-year 2022 results, including net income of $355.9 million, or $10.53 per diluted share, compared with net income of $493.3 million, or $16.16 per diluted share, in 2021.
On an adjusted basis, EBITDA totaled $899.2 million in 2022 compared with $1.1 billion in 2021. Adjusted net income in 2022 totaled $418.0 million, or $14.23 per diluted share, compared with $551.0 million, or $18.51 per diluted share, in 2021.
“2022 was one of the best years in Atlas’ history, and we are pleased that we placed all eight of our new and incoming aircraft under long-term contracts. All four new 747-8Fs and the first of four 777Fs have been delivered and are operating for strategic customers under attractive long-term agreements,” said Atlas Air Worldwide President and Chief Executive Officer John W. Dietrich.
Mr. Dietrich added: “In January, we took delivery of the final 747 ever to be produced by Boeing during an historic ceremony. Although the celebration marked the end of the 54-year production run for the ‘Queen of the Skies,’ it is only the beginning for this aircraft, which will serve the airfreight market for decades to come.
“Atlas began over 30 years ago with a single 747-200 freighter and since then, we became, and still are, the world’s largest operator of 747 freighters. Our company’s history and success are directly linked to the 747 platform, and it is fitting that we took delivery of the final four of these iconic aircraft.”
He concluded: “I also want to thank the Atlas team for their continued efforts to deliver safe and reliable service to our customers throughout 2022.”
Transaction Update
As previously announced, on August 4, 2022, Atlas Air Worldwide entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc., together with investment affiliates of J.F. Lehman & Company, LLC and Hill City Capital LP. In light of this pending acquisition, Atlas Air Worldwide will not hold an earnings conference call or provide forward-looking guidance.
The Company is working to complete the transaction in the first quarter of 2023, and continues to make progress toward obtaining necessary approvals. At this time, we are awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation and have received all other required shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Fourth-Quarter Results
Revenue grew to $1.21 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with $1.16 billion in the prior-year quarter. Volumes in the fourth quarter of 2022 totaled 84,916 block hours compared with 91,985 in the fourth quarter of 2021.
For the three months ended December 31, 2022, our reported net income totaled $126.0 million, or $3.70 per diluted share, compared with $176.7 million, or $5.55 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2021.
On an adjusted basis, EBITDA was $286.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with $361.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. Adjusted net income in the fourth quarter of 2022 totaled $153.1 million, or $5.17 per diluted share, compared with $211.6 million, or $7.05 per diluted share, in the prior-year period.
Reported earnings in the fourth quarter of 2022 also included an effective income tax rate of 22.6%. On an adjusted basis, our results reflected an effective income tax rate of 21.1%.
Higher Airline Operations revenue primarily reflected an increase in the average rate per block hour, partially offset by a reduction in block hours flown. The higher average rate per block hour was primarily due to higher fuel prices and yields (net of fuel), including the impact of new and extended long-term contracts and increased cargo flying for the AMC. Block hours decreased primarily due to the impact of severe winter storms and a reduction in less profitable smaller gauge CMI flying. The abnormal increase in severe weather events also adversely impacted our crew availability and our ability to position them due to the widespread and well-publicized cancellations of commercial passenger flights.
Airline Operations segment contribution decreased during the quarter primarily due to increased pilot costs related to higher overtime pay driven by operational disruptions, including an abnormal increase in severe weather events, as well as higher crew travel costs related to higher commercial passenger airfare rates. Segment contribution was also adversely impacted by lower aircraft utilization and yields (net of fuel), primarily driven by lower market demand, the severe weather events noted above, and decreased passenger flying for the AMC. These items were partially offset by the contribution from our new 747-8F and 777-200LRF aircraft delivered in 2022, as well as lower heavy maintenance expense.
In Dry Leasing, segment revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022 was relatively unchanged compared with the prior-year period. Higher segment contribution was primarily due to lower interest expense related to the scheduled repayment of debt.
Unallocated income and expenses, net, decreased during the quarter primarily due to a $14.1 million adjustment to paid time-off benefits recorded in 2021 related to our new CBA, lower interest expense related to our adoption of the amended accounting guidance for convertible notes and higher interest income.
Full-Year Results
Revenue increased to $4.5 billion in 2022 from $4.0 billion in 2021. Volumes in 2022 totaled 330,738 block hours compared with 364,061 in 2021.
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, our reported net income was $355.9 million, or $10.53 per diluted share, compared with $493.3 million, or $16.16 per diluted share, in 2021.
On an adjusted basis, EBITDA was $899.2 million in 2022 compared with $1.1 billion in 2021. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, adjusted net income was $418.0 million, or $14.23 per diluted share, compared with $551.0 million, or $18.51 per diluted share, in 2021.
Reported results in 2022 included an effective income tax rate of 22.9%. On an adjusted basis, our results reflected an effective income tax rate of 22.0%.
Fleet
All four new 747-8Fs have been delivered, including the final 747 in January 2023. All four of these aircraft are placed with strategic customers under long-term agreements.
All four of our new and incoming 777-200LRFs have been placed under a long-term ACMI contract with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA. The first aircraft was delivered in late November 2022, with three more expected to be delivered throughout 2023.
As previously disclosed, we purchased five of our existing 747-400Fs at the end of their leases during 2022, all of which were acquired between March and December. In November 2022, we reached an agreement with one of our lessors to purchase a 747-400F at the end of its existing lease term. We expect to complete the acquisition of the aircraft by April 2023.
Cash
At December 31, 2022, our cash, including cash equivalents and restricted cash, totaled $773.9 million compared with $921.0 million at December 31, 2021.
The change in position resulted from cash used for investing and financing activities, including $185.6 million for pre-delivery payments for our new aircraft, $216.6 million related to the settlement of our 2015 Convertible Notes and $100.0 million for our accelerated share repurchase program (which we have suspended in connection with the proposed merger), partially offset by cash provided by operating activities.
About Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our financial statements presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we present certain non-GAAP financial measures to assist in the evaluation of our business performance. These non-GAAP measures include Adjusted EBITDA; Adjusted net income; Adjusted Diluted EPS; Adjusted effective tax rate; and Free Cash Flow, which exclude certain noncash income and expenses, and items impacting year-over-year comparisons of our results. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for Net income; Diluted EPS; Effective tax rate; and Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities, which are the most directly comparable measures of performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, respectively.
Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing the performance of the company’s ongoing operations and in planning and forecasting future periods. We believe that these adjusted measures, when considered together with the corresponding U.S. GAAP financial measures and the reconciliations to those measures, provide meaningful supplemental information to assist investors and analysts in understanding our financial results and assessing our prospects for future performance. For example:
About Atlas Air Worldwide:
Atlas Air Worldwide is a leading global provider of outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services. It is the parent company of Atlas Air, Inc. and Titan Aviation Holdings, Inc., and is the majority shareholder of Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. Our companies operate the world’s largest fleet of 747 freighter aircraft and provide customers the broadest array of Boeing 747, 777, 767 and 737 aircraft for domestic, regional and international cargo and passenger operations.
Atlas Air Worldwide’s press releases, SEC filings and other information may be accessed through the company’s home page, www.atlasairworldwide.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that reflect Atlas Air Worldwide’s current views with respect to certain current and future events and financial performance. Those statements are based on management’s beliefs, plans, expectations and assumptions, and on information currently available to management. Generally, the words “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “continue,” “believe,” “seek,” “project,” “estimate,” and similar expressions used in this release that do not relate to historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. They are and will be, as the case may be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to the operations and business environments of Atlas Air Worldwide and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “companies”) that may cause the actual results of the companies to be materially different from any future results, express or implied, in such forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: our ability to effectively operate the network service contemplated by our agreements with Amazon; the possibility that Amazon may terminate its agreements with the companies; the ability of the companies to operate pursuant to the terms of their financing facilities; the ability of the companies to obtain and maintain normal terms with vendors and service providers; the companies’ ability to maintain contracts that are critical to their operations; the ability of the companies to fund and execute their business plan; the ability of the companies to attract, motivate and/or retain key executives, pilots and associates; the ability of the companies to attract and retain customers; the continued availability of wide-body aircraft to us; demand for cargo services in the markets in which the companies operate; changes in U.S. and non-U.S. government trade and tax policies; general economic conditions, including inflation; the impact of geographical events or health epidemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of COVID-19 vaccine mandates; our compliance with the requirements and restrictions under the Payroll Support Program; the effects of any hostilities or act of war or any terrorist attack; significant data breach or disruption of our information technology systems; labor costs and relations, work stoppages and service slowdowns; financing costs; the cost and availability of war risk insurance; aviation fuel costs; security-related costs; competitive pressures on pricing (especially from lower-cost competitors); volatility in the international currency markets; geopolitical events; weather conditions; natural disasters; government legislation and regulation; border restrictions; consumer perceptions of the companies’ products and services; anticipated and future litigation; the risk that the proposed transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or waived, including the failure to receive any required regulatory approvals from any applicable governmental entities (or any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on such approvals); the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the definitive transaction agreement relating to the proposed transaction, including in circumstances which would require Atlas Air Worldwide to pay a termination fee; incurring substantial costs related to the proposed transaction, such as legal, financial advisory, integration and accounting costs; the effect of the announcement, pendency of the proposed transaction, or any failure to successfully complete the proposed transaction on Atlas Air Worldwide’s ability to attract, motivate or retain key executives, pilots and associates, its ability to maintain relationships with its customers, vendors, service providers and others with whom it does business, or its operating results and business generally; risks related to the proposed transaction diverting management’s attention from Atlas Air Worldwide’s ongoing business operations; the risk of shareholder litigation in connection with the proposed transaction, including resulting expense or delay; and (i) any other risks discussed in Atlas Air Worldwide’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 (the “Annual Report”) and Atlas Air Worldwide’s subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed by Atlas Air Worldwide with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and, in particular, the risk factors set forth under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Annual Report and the quarterly reports and (ii) other risk factors identified from time to time in other filings with the SEC. Filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.
Except as stated in this release, Atlas Air Worldwide is not providing guidance or estimates regarding its anticipated business and financial performance for 2023 or thereafter.
Atlas Air Worldwide assumes no obligation to update such statements contained in this release to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such estimates other than as required by law and expressly disclaims any obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement to reflect future events or circumstances.
No Offer or Solicitation
This release is not intended to and shall not constitute an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such registration requirements.
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