SNAS/DHL, incorporated as DHL International Aviation ME, is a cargo airline

Cargo airline

Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...

 based in Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

. It is wholly owned by Deutsche Post DHL and operates the group's DHL 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....

-branded parcel and express services in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, including Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 and Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport

Bahrain International Airport

Bahrain International Airport is an international airport located in Muharraq, an island on the northern tip of Bahrain, about northeast of the capital Manama...

.

History

The airline was established and started operations in 1979. In 1996 the airline began using 757-200s to fly flights between Bahrain and Europe. As of 2004 the airline flew flights in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Fleet

The DHL International fleet consists of the following aircraft (at 22 March 2009):

• 1 Antonov An-12
  Antonov An-12
  The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10.-Design and development:...
  
  
• 6 Boeing 727-200F
  Boeing 727
  The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
  
   (operating for SNAS Aviation
  SNAS Aviation
  SNAS Aviation is a cargo airline based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and operating for DHL International Aviation ME.-Fleet:The SNAS Aviation fleet includes the following aircraft :* 5 Boeing 727-200F-External links:*...
  
  )

Previously operated

At January 2005 the airline also operated :

• 2 Fairchild Metro 23
  Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
  The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
  
  
• 3 Fairchild Metro III
  Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
  The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
  
  

Incidents and accidents

• The 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision occurred on 1 July 2002 over southern 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...
  
   between a DHL ME 757 and a Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev Tu-154
  Tupolev Tu-154
  The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
  
  . All 69 people on board the Tupolev as well as both pilots of the cargo plane died in the crash.

External links

• DHL
• DHL International Aviation ME Fleet