ATSG Reports Strong Second Quarter 2014 Results

WILMINGTON, Ohio—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATSG), the leading provider of medium wide-body aircraft leasing, air cargo transportation and related services, today reported consolidated financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.

For the second quarter of 2014:

Revenues were $149.6 million, up $10.7 million, or 8 percent from a year ago. Excluding revenues from reimbursable expenses, revenues increased $4.8 million, or 4 percent. The year-over-year gain stemmed from an improvement in combi revenue from the U.S. military and more aircraft maintenance services performed for external customers.
Pre-tax earnings from continuing operations increased 33 percent to $14.7 million. Sharp improvement in the profitability of ATSG’s airline operations more than offset margin reductions in ATSG’s aircraft leasing business, which incurred greater costs without compensating revenues while preparing 767 freighters for redeployment to external lease customers.
Net earnings from continuing operations of $9.3 million, or $0.14 per share, were up 34 percent from $6.9 million, or $0.11 per share a year ago. The Company has operating loss carryforwards for U.S. federal income tax purposes that offset its federal income tax liabilities. As a result, ATSG does not expect to pay significant federal income taxes until 2016 or later.
Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization, also adjusted for the effect of derivative transactions) was $45.3 million, up 26 percent from $35.9 million in the prior-year quarter, and up 17 percent from $38.8 million in the first quarter of 2014. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure, defined and reconciled to comparable GAAP results in separate tables at the end of this release.
Separately today, ATSG announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the purchase of up $50 million of the company’s common shares, with discretion to determine whether and to what extent such repurchases might take place. Also, ATSG said that its aircraft leasing business, CAM, has agreed to purchase from Guggenheim Aviation Partners, Ltd., two 767-300 freighters that ATSG is already operating under leases from Guggenheim.

Joe Hete, President and Chief Executive Officer of ATSG, said, “The second quarter provided strong evidence of the efficiency with which our businesses convert revenue growth into cash flow and higher earnings. The new agreements with Amerijet and Cargojet we announced in May, including dry leases of four more of our 767s, led to the return of several 767 freighters from our airlines to our leasing business, CAM. That shift, plus significant reductions in personnel related costs, fewer heavy maintenance checks in the second quarter, and stronger returns from our operations for the U.S. military, led to a profitable quarter in our ACMI Services segment. I’m also pleased with the contribution of our aircraft maintenance business, AMES, which opened its new hangar facility in Wilmington in late June.”

For the first half of 2014, ATSG earned $15.8 million, or $0.24 per share from continuing operations, up 3 percent from the first half of 2013. Revenues increased 4 percent to $293.2 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the first half of 2014 was $84.1 million, up 15 percent from the first half of 2013.

Capital expenditures in the first half, including expenses related to construction of new leased hangar facilities, were $23.5 million, compared with $72.8 million in the first half of 2013. The company increased its projection for 2014 capital spending from $45 million to approximately $95 million to reflect the purchase of two currently leased-in 767-300 freighters at the end of the third quarter.

Segment Results

CAM (Aircraft Leasing)

Significant Developments:

Lower pre-tax earnings from leasing operations reflect a $5.5 million increase in depreciation from additional and newer aircraft, including four Boeing 757 combis (combined passenger and main-deck cargo aircraft) that offer significant operating cost savings compared with the DC-8s they replaced. At the same time, CAM’s costs to prepare aircraft for redeployment to lessees, and the associated loss of lease revenues from CAM’s airline affiliates for those aircraft, reduced its second-quarter earnings by about $1.5 million.
At June 30, CAM owned 51 Boeing cargo aircraft in serviceable condition. Four CAM-owned 757 combis have entered service since the first one was deployed in June 2013, and three DC-8 combis were retired, including one that was removed at the end of the second quarter last year. One more 767-300 freighter was added earlier this year. A table reflecting cargo aircraft in service is included at the end of this release.
CAM delivered the first of two 767-200 freighters to Cargojet in June under a dry-lease agreement. It expects to deliver four more 767 freighters this year, including two 767-300s to Amerijet and another 767-200 to Cargojet this summer. Amerijet also extended for 18 months the dry-lease agreements for two of the three 767-200s that it currently leases from CAM. Finally, West Atlantic of Sweden is expected to lease a 767 freighter from CAM later this quarter.
When fully implemented, the new arrangements with Amerijet, Cargojet and West Atlantic are expected to expand the number of CAM aircraft leased to external customers from 21 to 25.

ACMI Services

Significant Developments:

A pre-tax profit in the second quarter contrasts with losses of $9 million a year ago and $7 million in the first quarter of this year. Principal factors were reductions in personnel costs including pension expense, fewer heavy maintenance checks than in the prior periods, stronger results from combi operations for the U.S. Military, and lower lease costs compared with the second quarter last year.
ACMI block hours decreased 6 percent compared with the prior-year quarter, principally reflecting reduced operations for DHL in the Mideast that ended early this year.

Other Activities

A $1.5 million increase in pre-tax earnings was driven largely by a $5.8 million gain in revenues from external customers at AMES. They also supported CAM’s efforts to prepare its freighters during the second quarter for new dry lease assignments. A new two-bay, 105,000 square foot hangar opened in Wilmington in June, which will support AMES’s growth.
Outlook

ATSG now projects that its Adjusted EBITDA for 2014 will exceed $170 million, with final results for the year dependent on its ability to continue to deploy its aircraft.

“The broad interest in our aircraft that we noted in May has persisted into the summer,” Hete said. “We expect our cash flow this year to continue to benefit from operating gains from additional aircraft leases, plus reduced pension funding obligations. As we deploy more aircraft under multi-year customer arrangements, we have also demonstrated our confidence in the cash-generating power of the business through a Board authorization for share repurchase flexibility. We now have the option to choose from a wide range of non-exclusive capital allocation alternatives, mindful of the interests of our shareholders for long-term growth, a strong balance sheet, and optimal returns on their investments.”