US freight and charter specialist, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWH), says it it is planning to merge Southern Air (Cincinnati International) into its mainline Atlas Air (5Y, New York JFK) operation.

AAWH said in an investor's prospectus that in addition to the merger, it is also planning to pursue a Single Operating Certificate (SOC). The process, which requires US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval, is expected to take between twelve and eighteen months.

Until then, both entities will continue to operate separately.

AAWH acquired Southern Air Holdings, Inc., for a cash consideration of approximately USD110 million in April of this year. The deal included Worldwide Air Logistics Group, Inc. and its two operating subsidiaries, Southern Air and Florida West International Airways (Miami International).

For its part, Southern Air operates five B737-400(F)s and five B777-Fs on behalf of DHL Express while Florida West shares B767-300F aircraft with LATAM Cargo Chile (UC, Santiago de Chile). Atlas Air, on the other hand, operates four B747-400s, seventeen B747-400(F)s, four B747-400(LCF)s, ten B747-8(F)s, one B767-200(ER), nine B767-200(F)s, six B767-300(ER)s, and six B767-300(F)s.