CaixaBank Soars into Aviation with A330 DHL Lease

DALLAS — DHL (D0), the global leader in cargo logistics, is embarking on a significant expansion of its fleet. In the coming months, the company will be adding five converted freighters from the Airbus A330 to its arsenal.

These five aircraft will be allocated to DHL Air UK Ltd., a D0 subsidiary based in the United Kingdom. The deal, facilitated by CaixaBank S.A., a new player in the commercial aviation market, marks its first venture into the industry since acquiring the A330s in 2022.

The UK government has officially confirmed the dry-leasing agreement, and all five A330-300 units have been transported to Dresden Airport (DRS) to undergo the conversion process into freighters. Once the necessary certifications are obtained, they will be integrated into DHL's fleet.

Among the five aircraft, three were previously operated by Thai Airways (TG), while the remaining two were utilized by Singapore Airlines (SQ) and TransAsia (GE).

Currently, DHL Air UK operates a fleet of 20 Boeing aircraft, including five 757s, ten 767s, and five recently received Boeing 777-F variants.

First-Ever Spanish Dry-Lessor

Although Spain boasts several influential wet-leasing airlines, including Wamos Air (EB), Privilege Style (P6), and World2Fly (2W), the dry-leasing market in the country remained untapped until CaixaBank's entry this year.

CaixaBank, a major financial institution headquartered in Valencia and the third-largest lender in Spain, recently made headlines by providing a substantial loan to the domestic Canarian airline Binter (NT). The loan, amounting to €467 million, was intended for the purchase of six Embraer E-195 E2 aircraft, which were ordered during the 2023 Paris Air Show.

CaixaBank's involvement in the dry-leasing sector is relatively new. The acquisition of their first A330-300 unit with MSN 1544 in August 2022, previously operated by Singapore Airlines and obtained from Meridian Aviation Partners, marked their entry into the market.

To obtain the latest information on the significant movement of A330 aircraft to DHL Air UK, Airways approached CaixaBank.

Featured image: Alberto Cucini/Airways

https://airwaysmag.com/aircraft-leasing/