DHL to cut emissions with 18 converted Airbus aircraft

DHL is taking on 18 aircraft that are being converted from passenger planes into mid-range freighters. The company received the first converted Airbus A300-600 this week from German company EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke Dresden, which will fly on the Leipzig-Frankfurt-London Luton route.

The remaining planes will be converted through to mid-2013 for DHL subsidiary European Air Transport (EAT) at its Leipzig hub.

DHL said the A300-600 offered more modern and efficient technology than its predecessor, the A300-B4-200, offering five tons more payload and 900km in extra range while reducing fuel consumption by 20%.

Marcus Otto, CEO of EAT Leipzig said the purchases would help towards the logistics giant’s target to cut carbon emissions by 30% by 2020.

“What’s more, we’re going to hire 140 new employees for a long period of time as a result of introducing the A300-600 aircraft,” Otto added, “so we’re keeping our promise to create more jobs in the region.”

The conversion order is the biggest ever for Elbe Flugzeugewerke (Aircraft Works), which has converted seven aircraft for DHL since 1997.

Andreas Sperl, the company’s CEO, said: “The aircraft DHL purchased were in outstanding condition even before conversion and they’ll be an important part of the modernisation of EAT’s fleet.”

The Leipzig/Halle hub has been the base for most of DHL’s European air fleet since early 2008, investing EUR 300m in the facility. The company has 3,000 staff based at the hub, managing 1m500 tons of freight each day from more than 55 daily flights.

DHL Supply Chain is currently building a EUR 14m logistics centre next to the airport in order to make use of the hub, a facility which is expected to be completed in 2014.