DHL X Aviationtag - Behind the Scenes

In February 2019, DHL approached us and a big meeting took place at our workshop in Cologne to exchange ideas. Everyone at the meeting agreed that this would be a great project for all sides. After some internal research, DHL was able to identify suitable decommissioned former DHL aircraft in Spain relatively quickly and in March we were already inspecting the first Boeing 757-200Fs in Madrid.

However, given the fact that these were supposed to be fully recycled shortly afterwards and time was too short, we decided against this and instead later returned to Spain again - but this time, to Castellon near Valencia.

Together with Daniel Mauritz and Daniel Breuer from DHL we set out for the Spanish hinterland and met with the local MRO company, Jet Aircraft Services. At that time, there were 4 DHL Boeing 757-200F in Castellon alone and it quickly became clear that these were what we were after.

We started performing the first measurements, markings and first cut of the D-ALEH right there. To be able to share the whole experience with you better, Daniel took thousands of photos and filmed hours and hours of footage, which we will show you little by little.

For the perfect picture we were at the airport at sunset and right back again at sunrise - and in summer the time between the two is not very long, as you know. No matter how often we’ve done this before, walking around the airplane graveyards of this world to track down the right material for our Aviationtags is still a fantastic experience every time!

Once we got back, we worked closely with DHL to design the Aviationtags and packaging and made all the necessary preparations. Just a few weeks after our trip, the first panels arrived at our manufactory and we were able to start upcycling the Boeing 757 aircraft skin. For a while things got very yellow in our workshop.

We quickly realised that DHL's 50th anniversary would be the perfect occasion and time to go public with the Aviationtag DHL edition. What better way to mark the company’s anniversary than with an upcycled piece of contemporary and company history?

A delay in dismantling the engines and landing gear unfortunately meant that not all of the material reached us in one fell swoop, but only gradually. The final cuts for our aircraft skin elements can only be done once these have been dismantled and the aircraft is lying on the ground without the landing gear.

We are very proud and happy to be involved in this fantastic project with the help of DHL and its great employees. Thanks again to all those involved in Cologne, Bonn, Madrid and Castellon!