Bahrain’s DHL International Aviation to grow B767 fleet

DHL International Aviation Middle East (ES, Bahrain Int’l) will take deliveries of a further six P2F-converted B767-300(ER) freighters by the end of 2021, two for the replacement of B767-200(SF)s and four for fleet growth, parent DHL International told Cargo Facts. The cargo integrator’s Bahraini unit currently operates five B767-200(SF)s dry-leased from Cargo Aircraft Management (which are 36.9 years old on average) and a single B767-300(ERBCF) dry-leased from Jetran (17.9 years old). It also wet-leases one more B767-200(SF) from Poland’s SkyTaxi (Poland). The -300 variant freighter was delivered to Bahrain in late February and entered into revenue service in March 2021 as the first of a total of seven aircraft due for delivery this year. The remaining six -300s will comprise three B767-300(ERBCF)s converted by Boeing and a further three B767-300(ERBDSF)s converted by Israel Aerospace Industries. They come from a batch of eight 2002 and 2003 vintage aircraft acquired by DHL from American Airlines, of which seven (including the already delivered one) will be operated by DHL International Aviation Middle East while the eighth one has already been delivered to the group’s Panamanian unit DHL Aero Expreso (D5, Panamá City Tocumen Int’l). DHL International Aviation Middle East confirmed that on top of A9C-DHJ (msn 23146), which it returned to the lessor in late February 2021, it will also retire a further two B767-200(SF)s, A9C-DHM (msn 22787) and A9C-DHO (msn 23143), later this year. As such, by the end of the year, the carrier’s fleet should comprise three B767-200(SF)s, four B767-300(ERBCF)s, and three B767-300(ERBDSF)s.