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European Air Transport N.V./S.A.
Founded	1971
Commenced operations	1971
Ceased operations	26 March 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

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] founded in 1971 and dissolved in 2010. It expanded by contracting with DHL Worldwide Express in 1985, became a member of the DHL Group a year later, operating the DHL-branded parcel and express services in Europe. It became a part of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 1993.

After 2002 the airline was owned by Deutsche Post with their takeover of DHL.^[3]

In February 2010, European Air Transport Belgium was dissolved and merged with European Air Transport Leipzig.

History

European Air Transport was founded in Belgium in 1971 as an air taxi service 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]}

In 1985, EAT expanded its activities by contracting with DHL Worldwide Express. 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 at Brussels airport. Instead, Deutsche Post decided to make Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany its international hub. EAT's headquarters were re-located in Schkeuditz, with daily flights to all major cities in Europe. EAT obtained^[when?] 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 on 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 22 November 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.

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.