Michael Steen and Eamonn Forbes took center stage last week at the 30th Annual Cargo Facts Symposium in San Diego, CA. This annual gathering brings together air cargo industry leaders —airlines, manufacturers, and lessors alike—for a lively three-day exchange of ideas.
(L-R) Jeff Lee on stage with Michael.
On the morning of day two, Michael sat down for a fireside chat with Jeff Lee, Editor of Cargo Facts, diving into the future of both Atlas and the broader air cargo industry. When asked about the past year at Atlas, Michael described it as “absolutely fantastic,” highlighting the company’s new One Atlas Strategy. He emphasized how this approach positions Atlas to drive even greater value in the global supply chain.
“One Atlas is critical for our future growth,” explained Michael. “It’s about our people and having a strong company culture. We need that strong culture to grow.”
He touched on several key topics during his talk, from the growing diversity of Atlas’ customer base to its shift into a private company, highlighting the company’s transformation, performance and focus on sustainability.
“When I joined the company [17 years ago], we had 24 aircraft, all 747-200s and 400s. Today, we have 121 aircraft across four different platforms and 40 more in our leasing operation. We’ve grown to more than 5,000 employees, and if you include our vendors, our footprint is closer to 10,000 to 15,000 people. We need a culture that reaches both our own employees and everyone else that works on our brand as well.”
As aircraft age and demand rises, Michael noted a critical challenge, “Out of 633 aircraft in the world today, 107 have reached the 30-year mark. And that means that in the next five years or so, those aircraft will be retired. That will put even more pressure on the global wide body fleet. That’s why we have pivoted to invest in more widebody aircraft, and to serve widebody aircraft acquired by our customers.”
Eamonn (far left) during the debate.
Later in the day, Titan’s Eamonn Forbes joined an Oxford-style debate where panelists faced off on the state of the freighter conversion market.
“Our conversation was filled with invaluable insights into the future of freighter conversions,” said Eamonn.
JJ Hornblass, Founder and CEO of Royal Media, moderated the debate which included Crawford Hamilton, Head of Freighter Marketing at Airbus, Michael McConnell, CEO of C Cubed Aerospace, and Betsy Seaton, President and CEO of Saltchuk Aviation.
Eamonn with fellow panelists following the debate.
