DHL Aviation (European Air Transport and DHL Air UK) and TNT Airways have joined the Association ofEuropean Airlines (AEA), bringing a new dimension to the association and increasing the number of
its airline members to 35.The AEA said the express air carriers’ business model of integrating different modes oftransport (road and air networks) into one system was a “new dimension” for the association ofpassenger and cargo airlines.
Geoff Kehr, DHL SVP Aviation Europe, commented on the new membership: “We are delighted tojoin the Association of European Airlines, which has an excellent track record of representing theinterests of airlines towards the European institutions. We are looking forward to a fruitfulco-operation and plan to bring to AEA – together with our colleagues from TNT– our expertise fromthe express cargo operator perspective”.
Niky Terzakis, Managing Director of TNT Airways, said: “TNT’s membership of AEA will bringmutual benefits to AEA and TNT. We are confident that it will strengthen the cargo voice of theassociation towards EU decision makers as well as allowing us to tap into AEA’s formidable networkin Brussels. The growing regulatory challenges facing aviation make it imperative for airlines towork together to find a common response”.
DHL’s European airlines operate 33 Boeing 757s and 18 Airbus A300s for the DHL Expressnetwork to every major city in Europe.
TNT Airways, founded in 1999, is a Belgian-licensed air carrier based in Liège. It operates47 aircraft (B747s, A300s, B757s, B737s, BAe146s) to more than 70 European destinations and hastraffic rights to 12 intercontinental destinations.
