DHL to Invest $10M in Gulf

Express courier company DHL International said on Wednesday it would invest $10 million in Gulf Arab states this year to enhance its operations. DHL Area Director Philip Couchman said the firm would invest $4 million in Saudi Arabia while the rest would be invested in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ‘This investment is… significant as it demonstrates DHL’s commitment to our Bahrain-based fleet which in 2002 will be a quarter the size of Gulf Air,’ Couchman said in a statement. Bahrain is DHL’s distribution hub for the Middle East. It currently operates a fleet of seven aircraft. Regional carrier Gulf Air currently has a fleet of 30 aircraft, but has said it would reduce the fleet to 26 this year to cut costs. Gulf Air is owned by the governments of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi emirate in the UAE.