Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) will operate five B777-Fs for DHL Express under a recently concluded Crew and Maintenance (CM) agreement.
Based out of Singapore’s Changi Airport and serving DHL’s South Asia Hub there, the freighters, which will sport a dual DHL-SIA livery, will be operated by Singapore Airlines' pilots on routes to the United States via points in North Asia. Singapore Airlines will also oversee the maintenance of these aircraft.
The initial agreement is set for more than four years with the opportunity for an extension. As part of the agreement, the first aircraft will arrive in July 2022, with the second in October 2022. The remaining three aircraft are planned for delivery throughout 2023.
“With the deployment of five Boeing 777 freighters, we can expand our express service linking the Asia Pacific region with the Americas," Travis Cobb, executive vice president for global operations and aviation at DHL Express, said. "Following the pandemic, we see good prospects for strong growth in trans-Pacific trade lanes. By collaborating with Singapore Airlines, we see a unique chance to establish a long-lasting relationship with a longtime partner who shares common values and operates at the highest standard.”
Singapore Airlines is an existing B777 operator with twenty-six B777-300(ER)s in its current fleet alongside six parked B777-200ERs. Its freighter fleet, the ch-aviation fleets module shows, consists of seven B747-400FSCDs. For its part, following the addition of six last week, DHL has twenty-eight B777-Fs due from Boeing. It currently has five B777-Fs in service with Kalitta Air, one with DHL Air, eight with Atlas Air, and twenty with its AeroLogic joint venture.
