Atlas Air Worldwide has been recognized with the 2025 Aviation 100 Americas Award for Freighter Finance Deal of the Year, highlighting the company’s innovative asset-backed secured term loan financing for the two new Boeing 777 Freighters delivered earlier this year.
Presented annually by Airline Economics, the Aviation 100 Awards celebrate excellence and innovation across the global aviation finance and leasing industry. The “Freighter Finance Deal of the Year” distinction highlights transactions that demonstrate originality, strategic foresight, and strong execution in support of industry growth.
“This recognition reflects the disciplined approach we take to financing our fleet and the continued confidence in Atlas’ long-term growth strategy,” said Artem Gonopolskiy, Chief Financial Officer, Atlas Air Worldwide. “Atlas has a long history of securing favorable and creative financing solutions for our aircraft that enable us to meet growing demand and continue supporting our customers’ global supply chains with reliability and scale.”
Structured by BNP Paribas (BNPP) and co-arranged together with Jackson Square Aviation (JSA) and NatWest, the deal represents BNPP, JSA and NatWest’s first-ever A/B term loan involving freighter aircraft—setting a new precedent and reflecting investor confidence in the airfreight sector.
As a result of its innovative structure Atlas achieved highly attractive loan-to-value financing on these assets that generated significant cash proceeds.
Driven by strong customer demand for dedicated large widebody airfreight capacity—particularly for cross-border e-commerce—the transaction underscores Atlas’ ongoing investment in fuel-efficient, long-haul aircraft that strengthen its global fleet and customer offering.
The Aviation 100 Awards honor the top companies, individuals, and transactions that have excelled in aviation finance and leasing over the past year. Winners are determined through a combination of industry surveys, nominations, and the Airline Economics judging panel.
