DHL has opened a new air express centre in Fujairah, UAE, and inaugurated an additional flight into Bahrain.

DHL Worldwide Express, the global international air express industry leader headquartered in Brussels, has signed a partnership agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (Gamco), one of the leading aircraft maintenance providers.

Under the contract, DHL will act as Gamco's principal supplier of logistics, freight and inventory management services. In return, Gamco will provide European Air Transport (EAT), a wholly owned DHL subsidiary based in Europe, with heavy checks for its Airbus B4 freighters. The agreement is aimed at delivering considerable business savings and improving service standards to both.

The new Fujairah centre expands its network in the Northern Emirates.

"This initiative is in line with our strategy of ensuring we are present in all the emirates of the UAE and its key cities and towns," explained David Wild, general manager DHL UAE.

The move follows a growth in DHL's business from Fujairah. "Over the past year, shipments in-bound to Fujairah have averaged between 15-20 per cent growth, while outbound traffic has increased by around 10 per cent," explained Wild. "Growth is mainly coming from Fujairah's expanding leisure and shipping industries."

"These customer-friendly centres have been highly successful in Sharjah and Al Ain because they transform clients' impressions of the pick-up and delivery experience," said Wild. The new centre has facilities through which customers can access DHL's shipment track-and-trace service and the company's website.

A DHL Airways-registered DC8 aircraft made its inaugural flight into Bahrain International Airport on November 3. The weekly service upgrades the total number of dedicated DHL intercontinental freighters into Bahrain from seven to eight per week, offering a twice-daily service on Sundays.

This additional service increases DHL's available capacity both into and out of the Middle East by a further 20 per cent, offering connections to DHL's major European hub in Brussels and the global network.