Atlas Air reports Q3 adj. EPS $2.84, consensus $2.46

Reports Q3 revenue $809.88M, consensus $797.2M. "The positive momentum of our business continued in the third quarter, despite a more complex, costly and challenging operating environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Chief Executive Officer John W. Dietrich. "Our performance is the result of our entire team pulling together to increase utilization of our aircraft and execute on strong market demand and higher yields. We continue to broaden our customer base and grow with existing customers to maximize market opportunities. We further increased our roster of long-term charter customers, including the addition of Cainiao, the logistics arm of Alibaba, as well as expanding with HP Inc. and several large global freight forwarders. We also expanded operations for Amazon, where we began CMI flying three additional 737 freighters since September. We are now operating eight 737s for Amazon, complementing the large fleet of 767s that we have with them. Importantly, these long-term customer agreements provide secure and attractive earnings streams and deepen our strategic position in the fast-growing e-commerce sector, as well as in important global markets like China and South America. We are seeing substantial demand for our long-haul widebody services, both near- and long-term, at attractive yields. We are leveraging the agility of our business model and the scale of our fleet and global operations to serve this increased customer demand. We are also excited to announce that Titan Aircraft Investments, the joint venture between our Titan subsidiary and Bain Capital Credit, has arranged $500 million in financing facilities. The funds are available for the acquisition of freighter aircraft on lease and passenger aircraft for conversion to freighters. This important step will enable the joint venture to serve the strong market demand for leasing freighters. I am proud of the important role Atlas is playing in responding to this pandemic globally, and thank our crew and ground staff for their dedication in delivering safe and reliable service. We are taking wide-ranging precautions to safeguard our employees, while navigating through this complex operating backdrop. Air cargo has always been a vital component in the global supply chain as it provides speed, security and reliability that are unmatched by other modes of transportation. We remain committed to moving goods the world needs most, including medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment, e-commerce, and other manufacturing and consumer products. We are also actively preparing for our expected role in the timely distribution of vaccines."