European Air Transport
Encyclopedia
European Air Transport N.V./S.A. (EAT) was a cargo airline
with its head office in Building 4-5 on the grounds of Brussels Airport
and in Zaventem
, Belgium
. The airline is wholly owned by Deutsche Post DHL
and operates the group's DHL
-branded parcel and express services in Europe
.
Due to the merger agreement (dated 10 February 2010) it came to the resolution of the European Air Transport N.V. Brussels. The Company was incorporated by the European Air Transport Leipzig
GmbH and merged with it.
by two pilots, Mr. Pirlot de Corbion and Mr. Dessain, as an air taxi service. EAT started with a 2 aircraft, a Beechcraft Queen Air and a Gardan Horizon. It soon became clear that there was a need for pilots on the Belgian market, so EAT started a pilot training school. In 1973 EAT was the first Piper Flying Centre in Europe.
EAT expanded its activities by entering into a contract with DHL Worldwide Express
in 1985. Just before that, DHL selected Brussels Airport as the location for its European Hub. The co-operation between EAT and DHL was so successful that in 1986 DHL decided to make EAT part of the DHL group, and thus became the major DHL airline for Europe and Africa. On 19 January 1993, EAT became a member of IATA
. In the same year, EAT obtained the necessary permits for the transportation of a number of dangerous goods and live animals.
In 2002, Deutsche Post
completed the takeover of DHL, making EAT a wholly owned subsidiary.
In October 2004 Deutsche Post announced that Brussels Airport would no longer be DHL's major hub for Europe as from 2008, due to the failure of the Belgian Federal Government and Deutsche Post to reach an agreement on a framework to permit DHL to expand its future flight operations through Brussels Airport. As a consequence, Deutsche Post moved decided to make Leipzig/Halle Airport
in Germany
its new international aviation hub, with daily flights through all major cities in Europe. EAT Headquarters is located in Schkeuditz and will continue to be DHL's major European airline. EAT has a license for scheduled and unscheduled cargo flights all over the world.
Cargo airline
Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...
with its head office in Building 4-5 on the grounds of Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport is an international airport northeast of Brussels, Belgium. The airport is partially in Zaventem and partially in the Diegem area of Machelen, both located in the Flemish Region of Belgium.Brussels Airport currently consists of 54 contact gates, and a total of 109 gates...
and in Zaventem
Zaventem
Zaventem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Nossegem, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Sterrebeek and Zaventem proper. On January 1, 2006 Zaventem had a total population of 28,651...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The airline is wholly owned by Deutsche Post DHL
Deutsche Post
Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL, is the world's largest logistics group. With its headquarters in Bonn, the corporation has 467,088 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide and generated revenue of € 51.48 billion in 2010...
and operates the group's DHL
DHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
-branded parcel and express services in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Due to the merger agreement (dated 10 February 2010) it came to the resolution of the European Air Transport N.V. Brussels. The Company was incorporated by the European Air Transport Leipzig
European Air Transport Leipzig
European Air Transport Leipzig GmbH is a cargo airline with its head office on the grounds of Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany. The airline is wholly owned by Deutsche Post DHL and operates the group's DHL-branded parcel and express services in Europe. It also provides ad-hoc charter...
GmbH and merged with it.
History
European Air Transport was founded 1971 in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
by two pilots, Mr. Pirlot de Corbion and Mr. Dessain, as an air taxi service. EAT started with a 2 aircraft, a Beechcraft Queen Air and a Gardan Horizon. It soon became clear that there was a need for pilots on the Belgian market, so EAT started a pilot training school. In 1973 EAT was the first Piper Flying Centre in Europe.
EAT expanded its activities by entering into a contract with DHL Worldwide Express
DHL Express
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
in 1985. Just before that, DHL selected Brussels Airport as the location for its European Hub. The co-operation between EAT and DHL was so successful that in 1986 DHL decided to make EAT part of the DHL group, and thus became the major DHL airline for Europe and Africa. On 19 January 1993, EAT became a member of IATA
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
. In the same year, EAT obtained the necessary permits for the transportation of a number of dangerous goods and live animals.
In 2002, Deutsche Post
Deutsche Post
Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL, is the world's largest logistics group. With its headquarters in Bonn, the corporation has 467,088 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide and generated revenue of € 51.48 billion in 2010...
completed the takeover of DHL, making EAT a wholly owned subsidiary.
In October 2004 Deutsche Post announced that Brussels Airport would no longer be DHL's major hub for Europe as from 2008, due to the failure of the Belgian Federal Government and Deutsche Post to reach an agreement on a framework to permit DHL to expand its future flight operations through Brussels Airport. As a consequence, Deutsche Post moved decided to make Leipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport, sometimes called Schkeuditz Airport , is located in Schkeuditz, Saxony and serves both Leipzig, Saxony and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.It has more than two million passengers per year....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
its new international aviation hub, with daily flights through all major cities in Europe. EAT Headquarters is located in Schkeuditz and will continue to be DHL's major European airline. EAT has a license for scheduled and unscheduled cargo flights all over the world.
Fleet
As of January 2010 (date ceased), the European Air Transport fleet consists of:- 6 Airbus A300B4-203FAirbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
- 10 Boeing 757-200 SFBoeing 757The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
Accidents and incidents
- In 2003, a European Air Transport A300 aircraft was struck by a missile shortly after takeoff from Baghdad, Iraq. See 2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident.