Apollo, together with investment affiliates of J.F. Lehman & Company and Hill City Capital, completed its acquisition of Atlas Air Worldwide, a global provider of outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services.
The company will continue to maintain its global presence, continue to operate under the Atlas Air Worldwide name and be led by president and CEO John Dietrich and the company’s current executive leadership team.
“Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Atlas, and we are eager to begin our partnership with Apollo, J.F. Lehman and Hill City,” Dietrich said. “With the support and resources of our investor partners, we are well-positioned to achieve our growth objectives while continuing to serve the increasingly complex global supply chain. I want to thank the entire Atlas team, whose customer focus and dedication made this milestone possible. I look forward to the opportunities this next phase provides for our Company and our employees.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the talented Atlas team and build on the company’s strong foundation as a leader in the airfreight industry,” Antoine Munfakh and Jason Scheir of Apollo Partners, Alex Harman of J.F. Lehman and Chip Frazier, chief investment officer of Hill City Capital, said in a joint statement. “We have long admired Atlas’ reputation of providing high-quality service to its customers, as well as the financial and operational excellence the team has established. Atlas is poised for continued growth and expansion as it capitalizes on the long-term demand for global air cargo services.”
Pursuant to the terms of the transaction, the investor group acquired all of the outstanding shares of Atlas Air Worldwide stock. Atlas Air Worldwide shareholders are entitled to receive $102.50 in cash for each share of Atlas Air Worldwide (AAWW) common stock owned. As a result of the transaction completion, Atlas Air Worldwide’s common stock no longer trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
Morgan Stanley served as exclusive financial advisor to Atlas. Cravath, Swaine & Moore served as Atlas’ legal advisor. Evercore acted as lead financial advisor to the investor group. Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Mizuho Bank served as financial advisors to the investor group, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison served as legal advisor to Apollo and the investor group entity, and Jones Day provided legal advice to J.F. Lehman & Company and Hill City Capital.
