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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of
                       The Securities Exchange Act of 1934


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         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 12, 2004

                               ATA Holdings Corp.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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  Indiana                        000-21642                    35-1617970
(State or other jurisdiction   (Commission File Number)    (I.R.S. Employer
   of incorporation)                                     Identification Number)


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                           7337 West Washington Street
                              Indianapolis, Indiana
                                      46231
               (Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (317) 247-4000

                                       N/A
          (Former name or former address, if changes since last report)

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ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS

Attached  hereto,  and  incorporated  herein by  reference in its  entirety,  as
Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of a press release announcing that ATA Holdings Corp. has
appointed Byron F. Johnson Chairman of ATA Holdings Corp.'s Audit Committee.


ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(C) Exhibits.

    99.1 Press Release dated July 12, 2004.







                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                       ATA Holdings Corp.

Date: July 12, 2004                    By: /s/ Gilbert F. Viets
                                               ----------------

                                       Name: Gilbert F. Viets
                                       Title: Executive Vice President & Chief
                                       Financial Officer







                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.                Description of the Exhibit

99.1                       Press Release dated July 12, 2004






NEWS RELEASE


                        Members of the Media Call: Angela Thomas (317) 240-7518
                                                    media.inquiries@iflyata.com
                   Roxanne Butler, Investor Relations Specialist (877) 834-0606
                                                 investor.relations@iflyata.com


             Byron F. Johnson Named Chairman of ATA Holdings Corp.'s
                                 Audit Committee

INDIANAPOLIS,  July 12, 2004 - ATA Holdings  Corp.,  parent  company of ATA (ATA
Airlines,  Inc.,  Nasdaq:  ATAH), today announced that Byron F. Johnson has been
named  Chairman of the Audit  Committee  of the  Company's  Board of  Directors.
Johnson will replace Gilbert F. Viets who resigned from this position on June 28
to assume the position of Chief Financial Officer for the Company. Viets remains
on the Board.

"I know of no one more  capable  to  replace  Gil in this  position  than  Byron
Johnson.  His extensive  knowledge and  experience  with  regulated  industries,
combined  with 38 years of accounting  expertise,  makes him a true asset to our
Board," said George  Mikelsons,  ATA Chairman and CEO.  "Byron is primed to step
into this  important  leadership  role,  and I am fully  confident  that he will
represent ATA and its shareholders' interests benevolently."

"I am pleased to represent  the  shareholders  by serving on ATA's  Board," said
Johnson.  "Admittedly,  there is much work to be done.  However,  I am confident
that George and his team will  continue  to  successfully  navigate  ATA through
these turbulent times. I feel honored to be a member of such a high-spirited and
hard-working team."

Johnson's appointment as Chairman of the Audit Committee follows an accomplished
career in accounting,  where he worked for Arthur Andersen L.L.P.  for 38 years.
He served as Director  of the firm's  Utility  Industry  Program for the Central
Region of the U.S. for many years as well as the Director of the firm's  Airline
Industry  Program.  Additionally,  he had  overall  responsibility  for  several
well-known public companies in the regulated utility and airline  industries and
participated  on American  Institute of  Certified  Public  Accountants  (AICPA)
committees  supporting the  development of appropriate  accounting and financial
reporting initiatives in the utility and airline industries. He became a Retired
Partner in April, 2000.

A Certified Public  Accountant,  Johnson graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College in
Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa in 1962 where he continues on the Board of Trustees after
serving  eighteen years as Chairman of the Board.  He served in the U.S.  Marine
Corps Reserve from 1963 to 1969.

Johnson currently performs consulting services on a limited basis and assists in
various local community projects. He and his wife, Gloria, have two children.

ATA is the nation's  10th largest  airline and  operates  significant  scheduled
service from Chicago-Midway, Hawaii, Indianapolis, New York and San Francisco to
over 45 business  and  vacation  destinations.  For more  information  about the
Company, visit the website at www.ata.com.

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