Atlas Air saw its volumes in 2018 grow by 17% to 296,264 block hours and revenue increase by 24% to US$2.7 billion, according to full-year results released by the company.

The performance set new records for the company, which added 16 aircraft to its operating fleet to cater to increased customer demand and ended the year with more than 100 planes for the first time, at 112 aircraft across five fleet types.

“2018 was another great year for Atlas, with substantial growth in the scale, diversity and profitability of our business,” said William J. Flynn, president and CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. “Going forward, we are excited about Atlas’ future and the future of air freight. We expect record Atlas volumes and earnings in 2019 driven by our multiyear initiatives, which enable us to serve a greater range of customers and provide a solid platform for future growth initiatives. Our focus is on express and e-commerce, and fast-growing markets in Asia and elsewhere, such as South America, where we had the strongest year in the company’s history. As air freight tonnage continues to grow, further globalization will require time-definite air networks to facilitate the flow of goods.”

He added that the company will benefit from a full year of flying with aircraft added in 2018 for customers such as Asiana, DHL Express, Inditex and SF Express.

“We will see our first year of flying 20 767-300s for Amazon,” he said. “We look forward to operating three incremental 747-400 freighters for Nippon Cargo Airlines, which will increase our near-term fleet to 115 aircraft.”

Atlas expects to fly approximately 75,000 block hours in the first quarter of 2019, with over 75% of those in ACMI.