ABX Air has come a long way in the last twenty years. To give you an idea of how far, take a look at this brief history highlighting some of our accomplishments over the years.
 
1980

• Airborne Express, Inc., was formed in April 1980, when Airborne Freight Corporation (AFC) acquired Midwest Air Charter.
• On May 1, Airborne Freight Corporation separated the company into four divisions, one of them being the airline. This division consisted of Airborne Express, Inc., (formerly Midwest Air Charter). The airline moved about 500,000 packages each month with 50 planes on 40 scheduled flights. At that point, the airline was operating on 452 acres of land and had over 550 employees across the US in 50 locations. There were 123 pilots, 193 maintenance personnel, 157 ground staff and about 80 administrative staff.

1981

• The first phase of Airborne’s state-of-the-art package sorting facility was put into operation in June of 1981. At an initial cost of $6 million, the sort center covered 83,500 square feet, and was designed to process 50,000 packages each night. Total nightly shipments grew from about 13,750 in January to about 20,275 by December of 1981.

1982

• Airborne Express passed Emery Air Freight in package shipment volume, to become one of the "Big Three", with Federal Express and United Parcel Service. The first DC-9 C-Check was completed in-house.
• A sophisticated Category II Instrument Landing System (CAT II ILS) was completed and received FAA approval. It is the only privately owned, operated and maintained CAT II ILS in the US.

1983

• By the third quarter of 1983, Airborne was flying 42,000 miles a night, with 21 of our aircraft (landing at 30 airports) and 24 charter flights (landing at 30 airports). On-time performance was 85%.

1984

• Airborne FTZ, Inc., the airline’s subsidiary, received approvals as the nation’s only privately owned Foreign Trade Zone in 1984.
• A new fuel facility for Jet A fuel with a capacity of 410,000 gallons was completed in addition to an expanded facility for Property Maintenance and Ground Support Equipment maintenance.
• A DC-9 simulator was acquired and configured to Airborne’s specifications and standards.

1985

• The airline’s parent company, Airborne Freight Corporation, elected to use the trade name "Airborne Express", with all future public presentation of the company to carry this name. The purpose of the change was to more clearly communicate the corporation’s business.
• The first DC-8 was purchased and put in modification, including an electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS).
• Ground was broken for the Airborne Commerce Park, a joint venture between Airborne and a group of Columbus, Ohio, developers.
• By year-end 1985, the company had 1,113 employees.

1986

• The package sorting facility was renovated and expanded to more than double its previous capacity. An administrative offices/training complex and a 50,000 square-foot aircraft maintenance hangar were completed. Total cost for the three projects was in excess of $20 million.
• In 1986, the airline’s fleet consisted of 18 DC-9s, 12 YS-11s and three DC-8s with several more DC-8s and DC-9s under option.

1988

• A former FAA tower was purchased and moved to Wilmington Air Park. It became operational in 1988.
• The airline received an "Aircraft Cargo Container" patent for its unique C-Container, designed to fit into the airplane through the passenger door, and to fit the contours of the aircraft once inside.
• The first Regional Sort Hub opened in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in November of 1988. It was designed to free space on the aircraft and in the package sorting facility.
• The parent company experienced nearly 40 percent shipment growth.

1989

• ABX’s aircraft flew 15.2 million miles, using 58 million gallons of aviation fuel in 1989.
• The package sorting facility operated at capacity with more than 1.3 million pounds of shipments being processed each business night.
• Regional Hubs opened in Atlanta, Georgia, and South Bend, Indiana.

1990

• The airline’s DC-8 simulator began operation in 1990.
• The first phase of the third package sorting facility opened early in 1990, boosting capacity to 395,000 packages each night. The second phase opened in October and boosted capacity in the sort complex to 520,000 packages a night at an additional cost of $9 million.
• Regional hubs were opened in Roanoke, Virginia, and Columbia, Missouri.
• The third Commerce Park building was opened.
• At the close of 1990, ABX Air had 3,341 employees and the average nightly package count was 395,000.

1991

• The third phase of Sort Building C became operational, and capacity in the three-building complex became 730,000 pieces.
• A runway extension project was initiated. The project replaced 1,000 feet of overrun with 1,000 feet of runway, then added an additional 700 feet of runway with a 200-foot overrun.
• ABX Air made aviation history by flying the world’s first DC-9 with a newly developed Stage III hush kit.
• In May of 1991 ABX Air announced a $121 million expansion of the Wilmington Air Park, expecting to add 3,000 jobs by the time the project was completed. The expansion plans included a 9,000-foot runway, a third maintenance hangar and connecting SR 73 and SR 134, among other things.
• Regional Hubs were opened in Waco, Texas, and Fresno, California. Within the year, the Fresno hub needed to relocate to a larger facility.

1992

• The airline opened its third Aircraft Maintenance hangar in 1992
• Airborne was one of the first private companies to have an Aircraft Situation Display (ASD) operational. It allowed ABX to see the aircraft enroute.
• Four DC-8s and eight DC-9s were added in 1992.

1993

• In November of 1993, a Control Tower Operator was added to the tower operations.
• Unload D opened featuring expanded truck unloading facilities.
• A regional sort hub was opened in Providence, Rhode Island.
• The parking apron on C Ramp was expanded, providing parking for 24 more DC-9s.
• Commerce Park buildings 4 through 9 were opened.
• Airborne Road construction was completed, and the road opened in 1993.

1994

• The sort capacity at the end of 1994 was 906,000 packages per night.
• The number of ABX employees at the end of 1994 was 5,741.

1995

• Four and one-half years after the announcement of the proposed runway expansion, the new runway was opened. The first revenue flights touched down in September and the runway was fully certified for CAT II ILS by December.
• The airline celebrated its 15th anniversary and added the 100th aircraft to its operating fleet.
• A new Fire Station was added as well as new generator equipment to support the new runway.
• Base Shops moved to a new, 100,000-square-foot facility.
• Commerce Park building 10 opened and Airborne Logistics Services relocated to that 330,000 square-foot building.

1996

• Airborne Freight Corporation celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1996. That company history can be found on the airborne.com web site.

1997

• The Boeing 767 was selected as the next generation aircraft for the ABX Air fleet. The 767 boasted a wide-body design enabling more lift capacity. Being nearly 15 years newer, it also could showcase better fuel efficiency and reliability.
• Work began on the expansion of Sort D and Unload E. They were both completed by 1997.
• Record amounts of freight were moved by many dedicated employees from all departments during August 1997 UPS Strike.
• Late in 1997, ABX recognized its first 25-year employee anniversary.

1998

• A refurbished 767 simulator was added to the Flight Training and Simulator Complex. It was installed and certified by 1998.
• The first 767 revenue flight was in October of 1998.
• Training was added to instruct employees to work with the 767.
• Working to meet the FAA mandate of Stage III noise level compliance, ABX worked to install hush kits on the DC-9 engines and to complete modifications on the DC-8s to bring them up to the Stage III levels. The 767s arrived already meeting the noise level requirements.

1999

• To control storm water runoff containing residual deicer, ABX teamed with two well-known groups to develop a subsurface water treatment facility. First a pilot-scale model was constructed and tested through three winters. Based on the exceptional results from that study, two full-scale treatment facilities were designed and constructed. One of the developers received an award for the engineering involved in the facility.
• B Ramp was expanded to accommodate more aircraft parking and C Ramp was expanded. D Ramp was also repaired and then extended.
• A new facility for the Waco Hub was opened in September of and plans were made for an expanded facility at the Providence Regional Hub. The new Providence hub ran freight for the first time in January of 1999.
• A new fuel farm and de-ice facility were constructed and opened in the first quarter of 1999.
• Cartage marked the 1 millionth truck tracked with the SureShip software in April of 1999.
• In an unprecedented collaboration, many cargo carriers joined to test ADS-B technology. Several carriers converged at Airborne’s Air Park in 1999 with modified aircraft to work together to explore the capability of an alternative to T-CAS.
• Another major innovation, Optical Village, opened in Columbus, Ohio. A development of the Airborne Logistics Services group, it brought manufacturers of many components together in the same area to expedite the production of eyeglasses.
• The parent company introduced a new service, airborne@home, to reach markets traditionally not part of the Airborne system. Working with the USPS, Airborne delivers to post offices and the USPS manages the "final mile" segment to the residential customers.
• The Fitness Center was redesigned and moved to a new location, allowing for an aerobics room and more equipment.
• Concentrating on technology became a priority with the advent of digital manual, an upgraded HRIS system and the approach of Y2K.

2000

• ABX Air slipped quietly into 2000 with all aircraft meeting the FAA deadline for Stage III noise compliance. Further, Airborne experienced no disruption of service at the Y2K turnover.
• The Junior Tech program was initiated to allow technicians just out of school to come to ABX and sample work in each of the maintenance areas. It allows them to determine their interests and gain a broader knowledge of all of the areas of Aircraft Maintenance.
• ABX also partnered with CISCO systems and a local school to provide a work-learning opportunity for students studying to become certified CISCO operators. It was the first business/school/CISCO partnership in the state.
• ABX introduced abxair.com. The web site’s first tasks were to highlight job opportunities at ABX.
• ABX Air installed over-the-belt scanners to update tracking within the Sort Facility to enable more complete tracking of packages.
• In 2000, ABX celebrated its 20th anniversary. The Ohio House of Representatives issued a commendation to ABX on its 20th anniversary, noting the ingenuity of operations and persistent growth as assets to the state.
• A new machine in Base Shops – a horizontal boring mill – allowed ABX to complete more maintenance in-house. In-house maintenance allows ABX to have increased reliability, faster turn and better cost efficiency.
• The South Bend Regional Hub was expanded to meet a growing volume.
• Focusing on employee concerns and interests, ABX held a Career Fair. ABX career opportunities were highlighted. This was followed by a School Fair/Opportunity day allowing employees to explore educational options to get them in the career paths explored earlier in the year.
• ABX TV, the Employee News Network, first aired in 2000. Recognizing that more communication mediums were necessary than were currently available, ABX placed 12 TVs in break rooms around the base to display company information and more.

2001

• After many months of research, an automated express sort area was tested on a small scale.
• To improve security, turnstiles were installed at base entry points.
• Recognizing the need to expand services to meet customer demand, the sales division introduced several new products. Things like a guaranteed 10:30 a.m. delivery, a full complement of delivery services and better web access for small businesses were important initiatives for customers. Ground Delivery Service (GDS) rolled out in April of 2000. This reached out to new markets for Airborne.
• The full-scale subsurface storm water treatment facilities became fully operational and weathered their first winter with ease.
• An employee-focused web presence was created and debuted in 2001. On the Inside brought together the information most sought by employees in a format they could access from home.
• September 11 brought the first-ever nationwide grounding of all non-military aircraft for two days. When the FAA cleared flight traffic again, ABX Air had one of the first flights in the air, repositioning an aircraft for the night system. By the middle of the next week, the freight backlog was expedited and the ABX system was back to normal schedule.
• In time for the 2001 holiday rush, a new Regional Hub was opened in the state of Washington . And early in 2002, the 20th 767 entered active duty.

2002

• Carl Donoway became CEO and Chairman of the Board of Airborne, Inc.
• A new DC-9 simulator was added to ABX's flight training facilities.

2003

• ABX's second DC-9 simulator received certification from the FAA in February.
• ABX partnered with the Community Blood Center to hold the first ever blood drive on an aircraft.
• In August, cargo giant DHL purchased the sales and ground network of Airborne Express. As a result, ABX Air became an independent publicly traded company, entering into contracts with DHL to continue providing service.
• ABX Air unveiled its logo.
• ABX became an exclusive, worldwide distributor for Innovative Solutions & Support's DC-9 Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) technology.