IAI to convert 3 new 767s to Freighters for DHL
Emilie Drab
 le 03/07/2020 , Maintenance aéronautique
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed a new contract with DHL International on June 22. The German company has thus entrusted IAI's Aviation Group (former Bedek) with three additional Boeing 767-300 passenger aircraft to cargo aircraft conversions (767-300BDSF). Valued at tens of millions of dollars, the new agreement contains an option to convert a fourth aircraft if necessary.
The MRO company stresses that these conversions must allow DHL to better respond to the increase in demand for cargo aircraft, following the health crisis and the vertiginous fall in capacities caused by the immobilization of more than half of the world fleet. If passenger services are gradually resuming in Asia and Europe, the new capacities are still not enough to meet demand.
In fact, the first aircraft to return to service are the single-aisle aircraft, and forecasts predict a slow and gradual return of wide-body passenger aircraft - not to mention that some of them may not fly, in particular among the A380s, 747s and A340s.
German courier, parcel, and express mail company DHL International operates a fleet of more than 200 full cargo aircraft today, which it has added to around fifty aircraft over the past ten years.
However, it intends to remain cautious in terms of expansion in the coming months, now that its fleet is balanced, and in line with market developments. The fourteen 777Fs it ordered in 2018 (four of which were delivered) are expected to have no impact on its capabilities but to improve the costs, efficiency and availability of its fleet.
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