DHL’s European Air Transport (EAT) airline under new license

DHL Express has now registered eleven Boeing B757 Freighter aircraft with its newly formed Leipzig-based cargo airline European Air Transport (EAT). This follows the granting of the operating license by the German Aviation Authority (LBA).

The license and the Airline Operator Certificate (AOC), which were officially handed over to EAT Leipzig’s managing director Markus Otto, completes the move of DHL’s European aviation operations from Brussels to Leipzig that started in November 2007.

DHL’s Leipzig hub has served as principal operating base for most aircraft of DHL’s European fleet since early 2008. More than 50 aircraft fly DHL’s intra-European and also intercontinental express air routes from here, covering approximately 100 destinations in one of the most extensive international air networks in the world.

Hans-Henning Mühlke, head of division operations at the LBA, said: “It was a difficult task to set up the new airline within only nine months. However, we are of course very pleased to be able to welcome an airline of this quality in Germany, especially in such economically difficult times.”

Markus Otto, managing director of EAT Leipzig, said: “The newly certified cargo airline is a logical consequence of the move of the European hub activities from Brussels to Leipzig. We would like to thank the LBA and also the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) for their very professional support and enabling the rapid transfer of a complete airline without any service disruptions. This aspect was very important to us, as in today’s highly competitive environment we need to meet our performance targets to deliver against our customer promise.”