Northwest Missouri Aero Group recently acquired a controlling interest in ATD Flight Systems, a Kansas City air charter and flight-training company. Managing partner Lute Atieh leads the buyer group; founder Bill Hays has retired after nearly three decades running ATD, and his daughter, Keara Neifach, who has led the company for the past five years, remains part of the ownership group. Financial terms were not disclosed.
ATD operates ATD Air Charter; Part 141 flight school ATD Pilot Training; and ATD Aircraft Management. The combined organization, including the FlyTech flight school in St. Joseph, Missouri, operates 25 aircraft and employs roughly 75 people across five sites in Missouri and Iowa.
ATD’s charter fleet centers on Cessna Citation XLS+ and CJ-series jets, flown by full-time, two-pilot crews under the company’s own Part 135 certificate. ATD said the Pilatus PC-12 will be the next addition to its platform, with future plans to evaluate a large-cabin jet for international missions. ATD handles pilot training and maintenance in-house.
“Our operational model is intentional,” Atieh said. “Our charter pilots are full-time ATD employees, every charter flight is operated by two pilots, and our training and maintenance teams work alongside the people managing the aircraft and serving the customer.”
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