The DHL Express and Condor partnership has kicked off with cargo flights from its express hub in Leipzig to Shannon, Milan and Cologne. Condor will be flying four of its Boeing 767s on behalf of DHL Express. The Condor planes will be based at DHL Express’ largest European hub in Leipzig and transport shipments along three routes – to Shannon, Ireland, Milan-Malpensa in Italy, and Cologne, Germany. These flights are also said to be available to transport Covid-19 vaccines. The partnership will initially extend until the end of May.
“We began flying more cargo last year and continued to build on our air freight expertise. And we’re very pleased now to be working together with such an experienced partner in DHL Express,” said Condor COO Christian Schmitt. “The partnership also demonstrates Condor’s ability to adjust to unusual situations and, in this case, to work together with DHL to make an important contribution to maintaining international supply chains.”
“This partnership between cargo and passenger carriers is unique,” added Markus Otto, Senior Vice President Aviation Europe at DHL Express. “It allows us to react even faster and more flexibly to the continued high demand for international express service. The additional capacity through Condor allows us to further improve service quality and transit times, and maintain our growth trajectory.”
Since April of last year, Condor has reportedly devoted an increasing number of flights to cargo, transporting primarily medical protective equipment, in addition to e-commerce goods. In the process, a portion of Condor’s Boeing 767 fleet has been converted to pure cargo aircraft. For a period, 14 of Condor’s 16 Boeing 767 aircraft were being used solely for cargo.
For Deutsche Post DHL Group’s Express division, the partnership is part of a program of action measures to expand capacity in the face of growing express volumes worldwide and tighter capacity. Early in 2021, DHL Express had announced additional purchases of new wide-body Boeing 777F aircraft.
Source: DHL
