DHL Express adds five A330 freighters to fleet

DHL Express has added five A330-200F aircraft to its freighter fleet. The aircraft previously belonged to Etihad, which has been reducing its own cargo-only capacity.

According to DHL, “The purchase of these aircraft is part of our normal fleet replacement and capacity upgrade programme. They will join the fleet of approximately 250 dedicated cargo aircraft and fly various routes as business dictates.”

European Air Transport Liepzig, a subsidiary of DHL, has taken delivery of one of the planes.

Etihad grounded the five aircraft earlier in the year as part of a review of operations, after $2.01 billion in losses in 2016 and $1.52 billion in losses last year. The airline may be looking to focus on cargo capacity on passenger flights instead.

DHL Express has been doing well this year, with revenue growth of 7.9% in the second quarter, performing better than its Post-e-Commerce-Parcel division.

(Source: The Loadstar)