DHL upgrading European fleet

DHL upgrading European fleet    DHL said it has acquired 13 Airbus A300-600 passenger aircraft, which will be converted to freighter configuration by EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden, Germany.
   The express company said the new aircraft will be fully integrated into its European fleet by early 2013 and will replace the older A300B4-200 model, which is reaching retirement age.
   The first aircraft is scheduled to enter the conversion line in early June, with arrival at DHL's Leipzig Hub planned for October.
   'By introducing this aircraft now we can ensure continuously high reliability and on-time performance for the years to come, while we are also able to take a big leap ahead towards our goal of reducing our carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2020,' said Bryan Jamison, managing director network operations Europe at DHL Express.
   The A300-600 has a 49-ton payload and is able to five tons more than the A300-B4-200 while having a 900 kilometers longer range and with up to 20 percent less fuel consumption.