WDL Aviation formally rebrands as German Airways

WDL Aviation (WH, Cologne/Bonn) has formally rebranded itself as German Airways (GER, Cologne/Bonn), changing its ICAO code, the name of the airline on its AOC, and its callsign. “With the new name, the long tradition of the airline, characterised by reliability, high-quality standards, and an unusual team spirit among the employees, continues. After the ex-WDL has overcome the Corona-year 2020 with all its challenges, it is flexibly positioned for the future with its new name German Airways and modern brand identity,” the German ACMI/charter specialist said. German Airways was originally created in 2019 as an umbrella brand for WDL Aviation and its sister carrier LGW – Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (HE, Dortmund). The two airlines, both owned by logistics firm Zeitfracht, retained their separate AOCs and corporate identities and had separate business models. However, LGW filed for voluntary self-administration in the Düsseldorf District Court on April 22, having previously lost its long-term contract with its only customer – Eurowings (EW, Düsseldorf Int’l) – due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, WDL Aviation remained the only active airline in the group. The carrier operates four ERJ 190-100LRs, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. All four are currently active on charter flights. WDL Aviation has one long-term wet-lease contract with Air France (AF, Paris CDG), operating a single E190 between Strasbourg and Amsterdam Schiphol. It has also managed to attract a considerable number of ad-hoc charter deals, focussing on sports clubs and other corporate clients.