DHL Express MENA recently announced the expansion of its regional aviation fleet with the addition of seven new Boeing 767-300F freighters scheduled to be inducted starting this month and gradually during the course of 2021. This marks another milestone in the logistic company’s efforts to enhance its regional aviation network with modern, cost effective and reliable aircraft, and improve its air capability to better support the region’s logistical demands while supporting its GoGreen 2050 Mission.
The technologically-advanced, energy-efficient planes, which will be based out of DHL’s regional aviation headquarters in Bahrain, have been converted from passenger to freighter configuration by Boeing, to fit the needs of DHL Express and meet the rising demand for express services.
Commenting on DHL’s aviation milestone, Nour Suliman, CEO of DHL Express MENA stated, “We are excited to introduce our new Boeing 767-300F freighters to the regional DHL Express air network. This investment reiterates our focus on continuously deploying innovative solutions and technologies to meet customer demands. Based on our performance in 2020, where we saw historic peaks in cross-border eCommerce volumes both globally and in the region, we anticipate this trend to continue, and our enhanced air capacities will enable us to handle the increased demand for delivery expertise in time-definite express shipments. The new planes will support our objective to maintain a well-connected regional network and optimize our operations whilst simultaneously improving our environmental footprint in line with our zero-emissions strategy”.
The addition of the new planes will increase DHL’s overall load capacity by over 33%, and will be used to service existing high-demand lanes across the GCC, extended Middle East, Africa & Indian Subcontinent which house some of DHL’s key commercial partners. The planes offer a 24% increased payload and are fitted with Winglets, resulting in a 5% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions, as compared to the B767-200F, enabling DHL to fly eco-friendlier and more cost-efficiently.
“The new aircraft will greatly contribute to enhancing our reach and service across key markets in the region such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, East Africa and on our Asian lanes amongst others”, explained Richard Gale, Head of DHL Aviation Middle East and Africa. “The freighter type is one of the world’s most efficient, and boasts the lowest direct operating costs and best payload configuration, making it an ideal fit in the midsized freighter market. The average aircraft age of the B767-300F fleet acquired by DHL is 18 years, almost 20 years younger than our current B767-200F fleet, thereby offering operational continuity into the next decade. The proven versatility of these planes will ensure we further deliver the best quality service possible to our customers through greater speed, reliability and efficiency, while simultaneously contributing to our environmental objectives which aim to reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050”.
Investments in strengthening DHL’s MENA air network continue to form part of the company’s wider strategy to enhance its capabilities in this region and better service high demand destinations. In the past 6 years, DHL has almost doubled its regional aviation touch points and boosted international flights to over 175 per week, consistently increasing load capacities to vital trade links to cater to customer needs for better cross-regional and global connectivity.