Carriers Ask for U.S. Govt. Investigation of DHL

United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. have asked the federal government [U.S.] to reopen a probe of the ownership structure of rival DHL Worldwide Express, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The latest moves are aimed at bringing attention to the complicated ownership structure of DHL, the largest air-express courier outside the U.S., the paper said. The requests were made last week in separate filings with the Department of Transportation, and indicate the two are uniting forces against German delivery giant Deutsche Post AG. Deutsche Post of Bonn, as part of its strategy to become a major global force in deliveries, is increasing the size of its controlling stake in DHL International Ltd. of Brussels with the pending purchase of a 25 percent interest held by airline Lufthansa AG. DHL in turn holds a 25 percent voting stake in DHL Airways Inc., a Chicago airline that hauls overnight packages and other cargo, according to a filing it made last month. UPS and FedEx claim that documents filed by DHL entities in unrelated regulatory matters show or at least suggest that a restructuring actually puts DHL Airways entirely in foreign hands. If so, the airline would violate federal laws prohibiting foreign control or ownership of more than 25 percent of any U.S. carrier. The majority of shares in Deutsche Post still are owned by the German government, according to the Journal.