HIGHLIGHTS
- At the Dubai Airshow 2021, logistics giant DHL and the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer Boeing reached an agreement to buy and sell 9 Boeing 767-300BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter).
- DHL expects its 2040 global freight fleet to be 70% larger than its pre-pandemic fleet, and it will be able to accommodate increased demand going forward.
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Agreement to buy 9 converted freights
At the Dubai Airshow 2021, which took place about a week ago, logistics giant DHL and the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer Boeing reached an agreement to buy and sell 9 Boeing 767-300BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter).
This is DHL’s largest order to date for the 767-300BCF from Boeing. According to Planespotters (a website that provides an online database for commercial aviation), DHL has a total of 28 767-300s in its current fleet of 194. These additional new freighters will help expand DHL’s long-haul intercontinental fleet to meet the year-end increase in global freight demand.
“We are pleased that DHL continues to expand its 767-300BCF fleet to help meet the growing demand for operations,” said Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President, Commercial Sales, and Marketing, Boeing. their global freight and logistics business”.
Rising demand and opportunities for air transport
Airfreight has become a more attractive option for some companies to avoid port congestion or minimize the impact of production delays. According to Clive Data Services, the demand for goods by air increased by 3% compared to before the pandemic in 2019.
Currently, shippers face limited capacity and high freight rates due to stalled passenger transport. According to the International Air Transport Association, the capacity available on freighters in September was 25% higher than pre-COVID-19 levels, while capacity on passenger planes fell by more than 34%.
This has led to a favorable environment for air cargo carriers like DHL. Volume growth for DHL Express’ Time Definite International shipments was 1% YoY in Q3 after larger gains in Q1 (26%) and Q2 (20%).
“Due to the limited cargo capacity of passenger planes, more specialized freighters are being used. more used to transport goods. Orders for new freighters in the first nine months of this year surpassed the highest total annual freight orders in the company’s history”, said Boeing CEO David Calhoun on the company’s Q3 earnings call.
DHL expects its 2040 global freight fleet to be 70% larger than its pre-pandemic fleet, and it will be able to accommodate increased demand going forward. In addition, they are opening two new conversion routes for the 767-300BCF in China and three conversion routes for the 737-800BCF in Canada and the UK.
Manh Nguyen
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