# Western Global Airlines (IATA KD · ICAO WGN)

> Western Global Airlines (IATA KD, ICAO WGN) is a US all-cargo airline that sells whole-aircraft contracted capacity only and does not operate an air waybill prefix of its own. The company is owned by the founding Neff family, has flown since 2014 and emerged from its December 2023 restructuring with low debt. It operates company-owned Boeing 747-400 and MD-11 wide-body freighters only. Forwarders do not book individual shipments with Western Global but whole aircraft, or capacity through a contracting customer who issues the air waybill. For charters, outsize cargo and relief flights the carrier is a direct point of contact.

## Quick facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Legal | Western Global Airlines, LLC |
| IATA | `KD` |
| ICAO | `WGN` |
| Country | US |

## Overview

Western Global Airlines, LLC is a United States all-cargo carrier headquartered in Estero, Florida. The company is owned by its founding family, Jim and Sunny Neff, and has operated as an FAA Part 121 certificated carrier since its first flight in 2014. Its business model is contracted capacity only: Western Global supplies complete aircraft including crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) up to full-service solutions for airlines, integrators, freight forwarders, relief organisations and government customers. The carrier expressly does not accept individual shipments; on its contact page it refers enquiries about single consignments to the shipper's own service provider. For forwarders this means that Western Global normally does not act as the issuing carrier on the air waybill but flies under the customer's prefix, and it runs no shipment tracking of its own.

The fleet consists exclusively of company-owned wide-body freighters powered by General Electric CF6-80C2 engines. When the financial restructuring was completed on 4 December 2023, four Boeing 747-400s and fifteen MD-11s were operational, alongside two MD-11Fs not yet conformed and eleven part-out aircraft; the corporate website still states nineteen wholly owned wide-body aircraft. Following the fatal crash of a UPS MD-11F on 4 November 2025 and the FAA emergency airworthiness directive that followed, the entire MD-11 fleet was grounded for more than six months. On 21 May 2026 Western Global became the second operator after FedEx to return the type to service, initially with a single aircraft.

Operationally the company relies on its Estero head office, an MRO facility in Shreveport (SHV) and, since May 2025, a base maintenance operation at Arkansas International Airport in Blytheville (BYH). Western Global has been a member of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet since 2016 and states that it serves more than 463 cities in 143 countries across six continents. IATA designator KD, ICAO code WGN, callsign WESTERN GLOBAL.

## Hubs

- SHV
- BYH

## Fleet

- Boeing 747-400F/BCF × 4

- McDonnell Douglas MD-11F × 15

## Sources

- [Western Global Airlines – About Us](https://www.westernglobalairlines.com/about-western-global-airlines)

- [Western Global Airlines – Pressemitteilung zum Abschluss der Restrukturierung, 04.12.2023](https://www.westernglobalairlines.com/news/western-global-airlines-successfully-completes-financial-restructuring)

- [FAA Order JO 7340.2 Contractions](https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/cnt_html/)

- [Western Global Airlines – Contact](https://www.westernglobalairlines.com/contact)

- [Federal Register 79 FR 10224 – Applications of Western Global Airlines, LLC for Certificate Authority](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/02/24/2014-03598/applications-of-western-global-airlines-llc-for-certificate-authority)

- [Air Cargo News – Western Global MD-11F back in the skies, 26.05.2026](https://www.aircargonews.net/freighter-operator/2026/05/western-global-md-11f-back-in-the-skies/)

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