Southern Air Taps DHL for MRO Deliveries

Southern Air Inc., a U.S.-based cargo airline, has chosen DHL Express as its preferred international express delivery provider. DHL will now provide express transportation of Southern Air aircraft-related parts to and from the United States in support of its global operations.

"In our industry, time is literally money," says Dan McHugh, CEO of Southern Air. "Any delay in delivery of a part for a scheduled maintenance or repair could result in significant losses and diminished credibility with commercial and government customers."

DHL Express will support Southern Air's global maintenance operations by providing door-to-door international express delivery of spare parts to and from Southern Air facilities, its vendors and Southern Air operating bases. Southern Air has airline vendor locations all over the world, as well as its own facilities and offices in the U.S. (Norwalk, Conn.); Liege, Belgium; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Hong Kong and Shanghai, China; Seoul, Korea; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sharjah, UAE and Bangkok, Thailand. Urgent parts shipments required for aircraft operation are expedited by DHL from parts warehouses directly to aircraft maintenance personnel.

As part of the customer on-boarding process to ensure a smooth and seamless transition, DHL is coordinating local personnel visits at all Southern Air site locations in the U.S. and worldwide to install shipping automation, deliver supplies and review any local customized needs. DHL is also providing Southern Air with a dedicated import account number so all shipments—regardless of origin and destination countries—can be billed back to its U.S. location in one currency and in one consolidated invoice.