Canada’s Cargojet plays role in CEO exit at Amazon partner 21 Air

(UPDATED 7:30 p. m. ET) Canadian freight airline Cargojet appears to have used its influence with the owner of 21 Air, a Miami-based contract carrier for DHL Express and Amazon, to release CEO Tim Strauss and install an internal executive, according to industry sources. The situation is complicated by rules governing foreign ownership and control of U. S.

airlines. Strauss, 70, and top lieutenants left 21 Air when his contract was not renewed in February, an outside air cargo executive who works closely with the airline’s senior management, told FreightWaves. A person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed Strauss’s departure in a text message.

Strauss, a former vice president of cargo at Air Canada joined 21 Air in early 2024 after a rocky three years as CEO of Miami-based Amerijet.

The source, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the move, rejected the notion of a falling out with Cargojet or that Cargojet was behind the change, saying the expiration of Strauss’s two-year contract was a good time to bring in fresh leadership for its next growth stage.

“We’ve more than doubled the business in that two-year period, plus opened up some other unique opportunities that are much longer term in their development cycle.

For the corporation, it meant finding younger leadership that’s going to be there for the next five years, and beyond, that can help form and shape the company in the manner it needs to to play that long-term game,” the company insider said. Another individual with high-level contacts at the company also said Strauss was let go.

Both outside sources said Pauline Dhillon, who took over as Cargojet CEO on Jan. 1 after sharing the position for two years, didn’t see eye to eye with Strauss.

Former Cargojet associate Luis Fernando Alvarado has temporarily run the airline after being named chief operating officer, raising questions about whether the relationship between the companies comports with U. S. law prohibiting foreign control of a U. S. airline. Fernando Alvarado’s LinkedIn page shows him as COO of 21 Air.

It’s not clear if the company has a CEO now or is searching for a chief executive. Cargojet owns a 25% share of 21 Air. Fernando Alvarado’s title for several years at 21 Air was owner representative. Between January 2020 and March 2021 he served as managing director, Americas, for Cargojet.

There is no job entry on Fernando Alvarado’s LinkedIn biography for the period between 2021 and 2026. The 21 Air website does not show Strauss or Fernando Alvarado as part of the leadership team. The top official listed on the website is CFO Olga Guerra.

The company’s headquarters is listed in Greensboro, North Carolina, but its operational base and main office are in Miami. Kleman Ferjan, head of business transformation, announced his departure from 21 Air in a March 18 LinkedIn post. No reason was given for the exit, but he expressed satisfaction with what the management team had accomplished.

“Together, we tackled a broad set of initiatives, from fleet onboarding and operational readiness to building a structured project portfolio and execution framework across the organization. What I’m most proud of is not only the execution, but the governance and foundation we put in place for alignment, scalability, and sustained performance,” he wrote.

The airline currently has 16 active planes in its fleet, including seven Boeing 767-300 converted freighters that shuttle e-commerce packages in Amazon’s domestic air network, according to aviation databases. Strauss is credited with bringing Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) on board as a customer in late 2024.

Amazon controls the aircraft and supplies them to 21 Air to operate on its behalf. Four 767-300s, two 767-200s and three 757-200s, recently added, round out the fleet. Those aircraft fly for DHL, Cargojet and other customers. “Tim delivered strong results during his tenure.

The airline looks materially different after his two years at the helm — including roughly doubling the fleet size and revenues, improved cost performance, and strong operational reliability toward the end of 2025,” said a former 21 Air executive. It’s unclear why Strauss wasn’t retained if his performance was as strong as allies articulated.

Officials at 21 Air and its principle investor didn’t respond to repeated phone and email messages. Courtney Ilola, director of marketing at Cargojet, declined to comment on the leadership changes at 21 Air or the investment status between the companies.

But Strauss’s inability to quickly get 757 converted freighters supplied by DHL onto the 21 Air operating certificate and into commercial service — which cost the company a lot of money — could have triggered Dhillon’s discontent, according to an industry executive in the South Florida air cargo market.

DHL Express delivered six 757-200s, previously used in its European network, to 21 Air in June, but they sat for more than six months because the airline didn’t have the infrastructu