Later this year, the U.K.’s DHL Air plans to wet-lease aircraft from DHL International Aviation Middle East (ES, Bahrain International). This will help to flex capacity and manage seasonal demand without fully purchasing new aircraft.
DHL Aviation Group
DHL Aviation is a group of airlines that are either owned, co-owned or chartered by DHL Express:
- DHL Express: The overarching division responsible for time-definite, international courier and parcel services.
- DHL Air: A cargo airline subsidiary of DHL Express based in the U.K., primarily operating in Europe.
- DHL International Aviation Middle East: A separate cargo airline subsidiary based in Bahrain, specialising in Middle Eastern, African, and regional logistics.
DHL Air UK (based at East Midlands) and DHL International Aviation Middle East are sister companies within the DHL Aviation group, which comprises multiple airlines owned by Deutsche Post DHL. The British airline unit of DHL Express operates an in-house fleet of:
- Five Boeing B757-200(SF)s
- Five Boeing B767-300ER(BCF)s
- Three Boeing B767-300Fs
- Seven Boeing B777-200Fs
While the Bahraini carrier operates:
- Five Boeing B767-300ER(BCF)s
- Five Boeing BDSFs.
Wet-lease Agreement
A wet-lease agreement is an arrangement where one airline (lessor) provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance to another airline (lessee) for a specific period. The lessor retains operational control and responsibility, while the lessee covers fuel and airport charges to quickly increase capacity. This agreement is usually used for peak seasons, unforeseen maintenance, or testing new routes. They typically last between one and 24 months, and lessees generally pay based on the number of hours operated.
Between March 29 and Oct. 26, 2026, DHL Air will be wet-leasing two Boeing 767-600ER freighters from its sister carrier, DHL International Aviation Middle East. The two aircraft will be A9C-DHS (msn 33087) and A9C-DHT (33086). According to regulatory approval issued by the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority, these can be replaced by equivalent units.
The deal is intended to efficiently flex capacity, manage seasonal demand and utilise specialised crew and maintenance services within the DHL network. This ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance) arrangement will allow the U.K. unit to quickly add capacity without fully purchasing new aircraft.
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