Western Global Airlines

Western Global Airlines, LLC is an American cargo airline based in Estero, Florida. The company's services include aircraft leasing, commercial charters and military charters. Its main hub is located at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida. In July 2018, the company established a 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m2) aircraft maintenance facility in Shreveport, Louisiana, capable of housing three wide-body aircraft simultaneously.

Western Global Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
KD WGN WESTERN GLOBAL
FoundedMarch 6, 2013
Commenced operationsAugust 1, 2014
AOC #9WGA495N[1]
HubsFort Myers
Secondary hubs
Fleet size21
Parent companyWestern Global Holdings
HeadquartersEstero, Florida, United States
Key peopleJim Neff (President and CEO)
Websitewww.westernglobalairlines.com

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 7, 2023.

History

Western Global Airlines was founded on March 6, 2013, by Jim Neff.[2][3] It was certified by the United States Department of Transportation on February 24, 2014 with FAA approval being granted on August 1, 2014 for operations using the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F. Boeing 747-400 freighter operations were approved by the FAA on November 16, 2015 and Department of Transportation approval was granted on May 25, 2016.

In June 2019, Flexport filed a complaint against Western Global Airlines, claiming that the airline failed to meet the reliability rate mandated by their contract. On June 7, 2019, Western Global Airlines ceased operations for Flexport, which then switched to Atlas Air.[4] On August 7, 2023, Western Global filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[5]

Fleet
Western Global Boeing 747-400BCF departing Tokyo Narita Airport in 2018
A Western Global MD-11 in storage at Mojave Air and Space Port

As of May 2020, Western Global Airlines operates a fleet of 21 747-400F and MD-11F:[3]

Aircraft In
service		 Orders Notes
Boeing 747-400F 1 —
Boeing 747-400BDSF[3] 1 —
Boeing 747-400BCF[3] 2 —
Boeing 777F — 2[6]
McDonnell Douglas MD-11F 17 —
Total 21 2

Incidents
  • On February 13, 2016, Western Global Airlines Flight 4425, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (registered as N545JN) took off from Munich, Germany on a flight to King Shaka International Airport, South Africa carrying banknotes intended for the South African Reserve Bank. While making a fuel stop in Harare, Zimbabwe, the aircraft was impounded and its crew were arrested after ground staff reported seeing blood dripping from the aircraft. A subsequent search found a corpse in the lower compartment.[7][8][9] Zimbabwean Police reported the man was likely a stowaway who died from a lack of oxygen. The crew and the aircraft were later released.[8][10][11]

See also

References
  1. "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
  2. "Western Global takes off | Cargo Facts". cargofacts.com. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  3. "Western Global Airlines Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  4. "Flexport files complaint against Western Global, switches to Atlas Air for 747F ops | Air Cargo World". aircargoworld.com. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  5. "Cargo airline Western Global goes bankrupt amid cash crunch". Bloomberg. August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  6. "Western Global Airlines Purchases Two Boeing 777 Freighters". Boeing Media Room.
  7. "Blood dripping from plane leads to body". IOL News. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  8. Hradecky, Simon (16 February 2016). "News: A Western Global MD11 in Harare on Feb 14th 2016 and the results of the fuel stop". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  9. "Western Global Airlines Issues Update on Aircraft Situation". Business Wire. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  10. Gladstone, Rick (2016-02-15). "U.S.-Owned Plane Carrying Corpse and Cash Is Impounded in Zimbabwe". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  11. "Cash and a body found in U.S. cargo jet in Zimbabwe". CBS News/Associated Press. February 15, 2016. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
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