Condor is now flying four Boeing 767 aircraft on behalf of DHL Express. The German leisure carrier has been boosting its cargo efforts over the last year, and its first flight under the partnership with the delivery powerhouse was this week.
European duties
The 767s will be based at DHL Express’s site in Leipzig, which is the company’s largest hub In Europe. The widebodies will handle shipments on a total of three routes to Shannon, Ireland, Milan-Malpensa, Italy, and Cologne, Germany. When required, down the line, coronavirus vaccines will also be able to be shipped on these services.
A good deal on both sides
Condor COO Christian Schmitt said the following about the cargo flights, as per a press release seen by Simple Flying:
“We have already been operating more cargo flights over the past year and have expanded our expertise here. We are very pleased to now also work with such an experienced partner as DHL Express. The partnership also shows that Condor can flexibly adapt to circumstances in special situations and thus contribute an important part to the international supply chain in cooperation with DHL.”
DHL Express SVP Aviation Europe Markus Otto added the following:
“This firm partnership between Cargo and Passage is unique so far. It enables us to respond even faster and more flexibly to the continued high customer demand for international express shipping. The additional Condor capacity will enable us to further improve our service quality and transit times and continue on our growth path.”
Having to make amendments
Since the rise of the pandemic last spring, Condor has been ramping up its cargo efforts. Along with commercial goods, it has transported primarily personal protective equipment. Amid these initiatives, part of the airline’s 767 fleet was converted to cargo-only units.
Additionally, Condor trained and deployed special cargo supervisors for these operations. The vacation specialist usually transports holidaymakers to the likes of the Canary Islands, Egypt, Cuba, the Maldives, and the Dominican Republic. So, it has had to adapt amid the restrictions following the global health crisis. However, it’ll undoubtedly be looking forward to once again providing more passenger flights when the climate improves.
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Meanwhile, DHL Express is no stranger to working with other airlines to handle certain flights. For instance, last year United States-based carrier, Mesa Airlines, signed an agreement to operate shipping services for the firm with Boeing 737 aircraft. As the cargo industry continues to expand, more deals such as this are likely to occur.
What are your thoughts about Condor flying Boeing 767 cargo services for DHL Express? Do you think this is a good move for both companies in the partnership? Let us know what you think of the overall operations in the comment section.
