Western Global Airlines was founded on March 6, 2013, by Jim Neff. It was certified by the United States
Department of Transportation on February 24, 2014, with
FAA approval being granted on August 1, 2014, for operations using the
McDonnell Douglas MD-11F.
Boeing 747-400 freighter operations were approved by the FAA on November 16, 2015, and Department of Transportation approval was granted on May 25, 2016. In June 2019,
Flexport filed a complaint against Western Global Airlines, claiming that the airline failed to meet the reliability rate mandated by their contract. On June 7, 2019, Western Global Airlines ceased operations for Flexport, which then switched to
Atlas Air. On August 7, 2023, Western Global filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. On December 5, 2023, Western Global announced that they exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy with less than US$100 Million in debt. On May 8, 2018, Western Global Airlines announced that the company will establish an aircraft maintenance facility at
Shreveport Regional Airport. Western Global made a capital investment of $3 million for tooling and equipment to support the Hangar 40, formerly leased by
ExpressJet Airlines. The company selected Shreveport as a conveniently located and well-qualified hub for maintaining its fleet of
Boeing 747-400 and
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 wide-body freighter aircraft. The Shreveport Facility would close following the 2023 chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, with Shreveport Regional Airport being listed as an unpaid third party, citing unpaid hangar rent to the sum of $292,573. This facility has since been taken up by
Skywest Airlines in 2025. On November 22, 2025, Western Global announced a large furlough of employees due to the extended grounding of the MD-11 airframe, which makes up the majority of the fleet the airline operates. ==Fleet==