Express Division
Time-definite international shipments
In the Express division, we transport urgent documents and goods reliably and on time from door to door. International time-definite shipments are our core business. The division's main product is Time Definite International (TDI), a cross-border transport and delivery service. Our TDI services enable delivery at predefined times, and our expertise in customs clearance keeps shipments moving as a prerequisite in ensuring fast and reliable door-to-door service. We also provide industry-specific services to round out our TDI product. For example, our Medical Express transport solution, which is tailored specifically to companies in the life sciences and healthcare sector, offers various types of thermal packaging for temperature-controlled, chilled and frozen contents.
Around 296 million TDI shipments were transported worldwide in 2022. We estimate our market share at 43 % on the basis of a recent survey (2021).
Our virtual airline
Our global air freight network is operated by multiple airlines, some of which are wholly owned by the Group. The combination of our own and purchased capacities allows us to respond flexibly to fluctuating demand. The following graphic illustrates how our available freight capacity is organised and offered on the market. Most of the freight capacity is used for TDI, our main product. If any cargo space remains on our own flights, we sell it to customers in the air freight sector. The largest buyer of remaining capacity is theDHL Global Forwarding business unit.
Keeping our customer service promise
In order to keep our commitments to our customers as a global network operator, we monitor their satisfaction and changing requirements, for example through our Insanely Customer Centric Culture programme and with the Net Promoter Approach.
At our quality control centres, we track shipments across the globe and adjust the processes dynamically as required. All premium products are tracked until they are delivered.
We conduct regular reviews of operational safety, compliance with standards and quality of service at our facilities in co-operation with government authorities. Approximately 415 locations have been certified by the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA), making us a leader in this area.
Continuing to expand and modernise network and intercontinental fleet
In 2018, we contracted with Boeing to purchase 14 new B777F aircraft as part of the upgrading of our intercontinental fleet. By the end of 2021, all of the new aircraft ordered were delivered and entered service. In 2020, we placed an order with Boeing for an additional eight new B777 freighters; four of these aircraft are scheduled for delivery during 2022.
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In Europe, our fleet of next-generation aircraft grew to five A321-200s and twelve B737-800s in service in the year under review. We now operate three airlines regionally: DHL Air UK expanded its B767 operations in its new intercontinental role and added new B777s to its fleet. We also completed the integration of DHL Air Austria into the EU Aviation platform, and European Air Transport (EAT) has expanded operations into Asia (Bangkok, Hong Kong) and into the United States.
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In the Americas region, we’ve opened a new regional hub located in Atlanta, USA. The hub in Mexico City was also expanded. At the end of the year, ten B737-800s were in service in the United States. Furthermore, DHL Aero Expresso Panama will become our primary carrier between the United States and Central and South America in the first half of 2023, with another converted B767-300 being introduced. Dedicated flights from Miami to Viracopos, Brazil, were introduced, with more than 300 tons of cargo capacity added per week.
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In the Asia Pacific region, we added intercontinental connections, increased direct flights to and from South and East China and added intra-Asia capacity on key growth lanes. Further, DHL Express and Singapore Airlines signed a crew and maintenance agreement in March 2022 to expand our link to the Americas. The first of the five freighters arrived in August 2022, and the second entered service in November 2022. An additional converted Airbus 330-300 aircraft entered service in September 2022, which enabled the upgrade of capacity between Hong Kong and Chengdu, China. Another four converted aircraft of this model are planned for delivery during 2023. With Air Incheon, a new regional partner airline was added to our network in northern Asia.
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In the MEA region, we continue to invest in our infrastructure by building new facilities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Muscat – the capital of Oman – as well as Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and by expanding our hub in Bahrain. We also acquired seven B767-300 aircraft for conversion, of which the last entered service in May 2022. Furthermore, we introduced new flights to the Asia Pacific and Europe regions, improving the link between east and west.
In sub-Saharan Africa, we committed to four converted ATR 72-500 aircraft; the first was delivered in the year under review, and the rest will follow in 2023.