John W. Dietrich is President and CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide, a nearly $3 billion public company (Nasdaq: AAWW) that is a leading global provider of outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services.
Mr. Dietrich has over 30 years of experience in all facets of aviation and airline management. In his current role, Mr. Dietrich is responsible for providing strategic oversight for Atlas Air Worldwide and its subsidiaries, including Atlas Air, Inc., Southern Air Holdings, Inc., Polar Air Cargo (a joint venture airline with DHL Express), and Titan Aviation Holdings, Inc. The Atlas Air Worldwide companies operate the world’s largest fleet of 747 freighter aircraft and provide customers the broadest array of Boeing 747, 777, 767 and 737 aircraft, serving over 400 destinations in 90 countries.
Mr. Dietrich assumed the role of CEO in January 2020. He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer from October 2014 to December 2019.
Mr. Dietrich joined Atlas Air Worldwide in 1999 as Associate General Counsel and in 2004 was promoted to Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary. In that role, he also had responsibility for human resources and corporate communications.
Under Mr. Dietrich’s leadership, the company has diversified its service offerings significantly, building from a single-gauge 747 ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) cargo business to many gauges of aircraft, as well as the expansion into passenger service. Mr. Dietrich led the development and expansion of relationships with express and e-commerce customers, including Amazon and FedEx. He also established the highly-successful joint venture with DHL with its Polar Air Cargo subsidiary. Mr. Dietrich is also responsible for the continuing expansion of the company’s military business in both cargo and passenger sectors.
Prior to joining AAWW, Mr. Dietrich spent 13 years at United Airlines, seven of those as a litigation attorney. At both United and AAWW, he was responsible for providing legal counsel to all levels of management and served as an advisor on issues related to labor relations, employment and commercial litigation.
Mr. Dietrich serves as Chairman of the National Defense Transportation Association, and previously led the organization’s aviation subcommittee on cybersecurity. He is on the Board of Directors for Airlines for America (A4A). He also sits on the board of Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc., and the board of AACT, a Korean joint venture for warehouse and ground handling services. He is a member and former chair of the National Air Carrier Association (NACA). He was also a member of the Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Survivable Logistics, convened by the U.S. Department of Defense.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Dietrich attended Southern Illinois University and graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois at Chicago – John Marshall Law School. He is a member of the Bar in New York, Illinois and Colorado.