European Air Transport (Belgium)

European Air Transport N.V./S.A.
Founded	1971
Commenced operations	1971
Ceased operations	March 26, 2010 (Merged into EAT Leipzig)
Hubs	Leipzig/Halle Airport
Fleet size	16
Destinations	Europe, Middle East and Africa (some 56 countries are covered)
Parent company	DHL
Headquarters	Brussels Airport ; Zaventem, Belgium
Website	www.dhl.com

Last updated December 28, 2023

European Air Transport N.V./S.A. (EAT) ^[1] was a cargo airline headquartered in Brussels Airport (Building 4-5) and in Zaventem, Belgium.^[2] The airline was owned by Deutsche Post ^[3] and operated the group's DHL-branded parcel and express services in Europe.

History

European Air Transport was founded in Belgium in 1971 as an air taxi service. EAT was created by two pilots, Pirlot de Corbion and Dessain. EAT started with two aircraft, a Beechcraft Queen Air and a Gardan Horizon. In response to the need for pilots in the Belgian market, EAT began a pilot training school. In 1973, EAT was the first Piper Flying Centre in Europe.^{[ citation needed ]}

EAT expanded its activities by contracting with DHL Worldwide Express in 1985. Previously, DHL had selected Brussels Airport as 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 with service to Europe and Africa. On January 19, 1993, EAT became a member of the International Air Transport Association. In that same year, EAT obtained the necessary permits to transport various dangerous goods and live animals.

In 2002, Deutsche Post completed the takeover of DHL, making EAT a wholly owned subsidiary.^{[ citation needed ]}

In October 2004, Deutsche Post announced that Brussels Airport would no longer be DHL's major hub for Europe starting in 2008. This was 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. As a consequence, Deutsche Post decided to make Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany its international hub, with daily flights to all major cities in Europe. EAT's headquarters were located in Schkeuditz. EAT has a license for scheduled and unscheduled cargo flights all over the world.^{[ citation needed ]}

Through a merger agreement dated February 10, 2010, European Air Transport N.V. was dissolved, and its assets incorporated by the European Air Transport Leipzig GmbH. They merged in March 26, 2010.^[4]

Fleet

European Air Transport had formerly operated the following aircraft:^[5]^[6]

European Air Transport fleet
Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Notes
Airbus A300B4F	19	1998	2010
Airbus A300-600RF	1	2003	2005	Leased from Islandsflug
Boeing 727-100F	6	1990	2003
Boeing 727-200F	14	1994	2004
Boeing 737-300QC	1	1996	1997	Leased from Air Belgium
Boeing 737-300QC	1	1999	1999	Leased from Air Belgium
Boeing 757-200PF	2	2000	2010
Boeing 757-200SF	14	2000	2010
CASA C-212 Aviocar	1	1986	1991
Convair CV-580	13	1987	2000
Fairchild Metroliner III	13	1976	1994

Accidents and incidents

On November 22, 2003, an Airbus A300B4-200F (registered as OO-DLL) was struck on the left wing tip by a surface-to-air missile shortly after takeoff from Baghdad, Iraq. The damage resulted in a fire and complete loss of hydraulic flight control systems. The crew returned to Baghdad, there were no injuries.

Related Research Articles

Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, is a cargo airline based in Purchase, New York, United States. It operates scheduled all-cargo services to North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Its main base is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, with hubs at Los Angeles International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Narita International Airport and Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaventem</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Zaventem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is located in the Dijleland area, one of the three large recreational areas which together form the Groene Gordel around the Brussels-Capital Region. The municipality comprises the subdivisions or deelgemeenten of Nossegem, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Sterrebeek and Zaventem proper.

Kalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered at Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. The company operates international scheduled and cargo charter services. Its call sign "Connie" is from its founder, Connie Kalitta.

Brussels Airport, also informally called Brussels-National Airport or Brussels-Zaventem Airport, is an international airport in the municipality of Zaventem in Flemish Brabant, 6.5 nautical miles northeast of Brussels, Belgium. In 2019, more than 26 million passengers arrived or departed at Brussels Airport, making it the 26th busiest airport in Europe. It is home to around 260 companies, together directly employing 20,000 people and serves as the home base for Brussels Airlines and TUI fly Belgium. BRU covers 1,245 hectares and contains three runways.

DHL is an American-founded German logistics company providing courier, package delivery and express mail service, delivering over 1.8 billion parcels per year. A subsidiary of the German logistics firm DHL Group, its express mail service DHL Express is one of the market leaders for parcel services in Europe and Germany's main courier and parcel service.

Société Belge des Transports par Air SA, known by its short form Sobelair, was a Belgian charter airline from that operated from 1946 to 2004. It was headquartered in Brussels and operated mostly non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights out of Brussels Airport.

N.V. Virgin Express S.A. was a Belgian airline created within the Virgin Group. It operated flights mainly to southern Europe from its hub at Brussels Airport. Ticket sales were mainly through the Internet. The airline merged with SN Brussels Airlines to form Brussels Airlines, which started operations on 25 March 2007. Virgin Express' head office was in Building 116 at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, near Brussels.

Lufthansa Cargo AG is a German cargo airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa. It operates worldwide air freight and logistics services and is headquartered at Frankfurt Airport, the main hub of Lufthansa. Besides operating dedicated cargo planes, the company also has access to cargo capacities of 350 passenger aircraft of the Lufthansa Group.

ASL Airlines Belgium, (ASLB) formerly TNT Airways, is a Belgian cargo airline operating chartered flights mainly to European destinations. It has its head office and hub on the grounds of Liège Airport. The airline used to be a subsidiary of TNT Express but was acquired by ASL Aviation Holdings DAC and subsequently rebranded in 2016. ASL Aviation Holdings DAC, the parent company of ASL Airlines Belgium, is headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland.

DHL Air UK, incorporated as DHL Air Ltd., is a British cargo airline based in Orbital Park, Hounslow, London Borough of Hounslow. It is wholly owned by Deutsche Post and provides services on the group's DHL-branded parcel and express network in Europe. Its main base is East Midlands Airport. It forms a part of the greater DHL Aviation division.

DHL Aero Expreso S.A. is a cargo airline based out of Panama City, Panama. It is wholly owned by DHL Group and operates the group's DHL-branded parcel and express services in Central and South America. Its main base is Tocumen International Airport, Panama City.

DHL de Guatemala S.A. is a cargo airline based in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is wholly owned by Deutsche Post and provides services for the group's DHL-branded logistics network in Guatemala. Its main base is La Aurora International Airport.

DHL Ecuador (TransAm) Ltda. is a cargo airline based in Guayaquil. It is wholly owned by Deutsche Post and provides services for the group's DHL-branded logistics network in Ecuador. Its main base is José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport.

DHL International Aviation ME is a cargo airline based in Bahrain. It employs 265 workers to dispatch, fly and maintain a fleet of Boeing 767 freighters operating under a Bahraini AOC. DHL International is the central platform for DHL Air Network Operations in the Middle East. It is wholly owned by Deutsche Post and operates the group's DHL-branded parcel and express services in the Middle East and North Africa as part of DHL Aviation. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport.

On 22 November 2003, shortly after takeoff from Baghdad, Iraq, an Airbus A300B2-200F cargo plane, registered OO-DLL and owned by the Belgian division of European Air Transport, was struck on the left wing by a surface-to-air missile while on a scheduled flight to Muharraq, Bahrain. Severe wing damage resulted in a fire and complete loss of hydraulic flight control systems. Because outboard left wing fuel tank 1A was full at takeoff, no fuel-air vapour explosion occurred. Liquid jet fuel dropped away as 1A disintegrated. Inboard fuel tank 1 was pierced and leaking.

Leipzig/Halle Airport is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany, and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt.

Cargo B Airlines was a cargo airline with its head office in the Brucargo Building 706 in Zaventem, Belgium.

DHL Aviation is a division of DHL responsible for providing air transport capacity. It is not a single airline but a group of airlines that are either owned, co-owned or chartered by DHL Express.

European Air Transport Leipzig GmbH, often shortened to EAT Leipzig or EAT-LEJ, is a German cargo airline with its head office and main hub on the grounds of Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz. It is wholly owned by Deutsche Post and operates the group's DHL-branded parcel and express services. It also provides ad hoc charter services including livestock transport.

Hawa Air was a charter airline that operated from Deurne, Belgium, in the 1970s and 1980s. The airline flew international services on jet aircraft, but included a flight school, courier service, overnight delivery service and an aircraft maintenance facility.

References

↑ "EUROPEAN AIR TRANSPORT LEIPZIG GMBH SUCUR - Informe de empresa".
↑ "General Conditions of Carriage Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine ." DHL. Retrieved on 27 June 2010. "European Air Transport N.V./S.A., a company registered in Belgium with its business address at Building 4-5, Brussels Airport, 1930 Zaventem, Belgium;"
↑ "Beteiligungsliste/Participation list" (PDF). Jahresabschluss (HGB)/Annual Financial Statements (HGB). Deutsche Post AG. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
↑ Unternehmensregister (german), entry of March 26, 2010, made public on March 31, 2010
↑ "European Air Transport Fleet | Airfleets aviation".
↑ "EAT (B) fleet". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

6."2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident", Wikipedia, 2021-03-21, retrieved 2021-04-08

http://www.cmb.be/business-structure.html#ASL Aviation

External links

Media related to European Air Transport at Wikimedia Commons
DHL

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "EUROPEAN AIR TRANSPORT LEIPZIG GMBH SUCUR - Informe de empresa".

[2] "General Conditions of Carriage Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine ." DHL. Retrieved on 27 June 2010. "European Air Transport N.V./S.A., a company registered in Belgium with its business address at Building 4-5, Brussels Airport, 1930 Zaventem, Belgium;"

[3] "Beteiligungsliste/Participation list" (PDF). Jahresabschluss (HGB)/Annual Financial Statements (HGB). Deutsche Post AG. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-01.

[4] Unternehmensregister (german), entry of March 26, 2010, made public on March 31, 2010

[5] "European Air Transport Fleet | Airfleets aviation".

[6] "EAT (B) fleet". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Airlines of Belgium
Scheduled	Air Belgium Brussels Airlines TUI fly Belgium
Charter	Vizion Air
Cargo	ASL Airlines Belgium Challenge Airlines
Defunct	Abelag Airways Abelag Aviation ACE Belgium Freighters Air Antwerp Air Belgium (1979–2000) Air Charter Express Belgian International Air Services BelgiumExel BFS International Birdy Airlines Cargo B Airlines CityBird Constellation Airlines DAT Belgian Regional Airline DAT Delta Air Transport DAT Plus Delsey Airlines Delta International EAT European Air Transport EBA EuroBelgian Airlines Frevag Airlines Jetairfly Hawa Air Lamda Jet Meridian Airways Sabena SETA Société d'Etude et de Transports Aériens Sky Service SN Brussels Airlines SNETA Sobelair Sunrise Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium Trans European Airways Unijet VG Airlines Virgin Express VLM Airlines VLM Airlines (Antwerp)