WDL Aviation (Cologne/Bonn) has formally rebranded itself as German Airways (ZQ, Cologne/Bonn), changing its ICAO code, the name of the airline on its AOC, and its callsign.
"With the new name, the long tradition of the airline, characterised by reliability, high-quality standards, and an unusual team spirit among the employees, continues. After the ex-WDL has overcome the Corona-year 2020 with all its challenges, it is flexibly positioned for the future with its new name German Airways and modern brand identity," the German ACMI/charter specialist said.
German Airways was originally created in 2019 as an umbrella brand for WDL Aviation and its sister carrier LGW - Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (Dortmund). The two airlines, both owned by logistics firm Zeitfracht, retained their separate AOCs and corporate identities and had separate business models. However, LGW filed for voluntary self-administration in the Düsseldorf District Court on April 22, having previously lost its long-term contract with its only customer - Eurowings (EW, Düsseldorf) - due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, WDL Aviation remained the only active airline in the group.
The carrier operates four ERJ 190-100LRs, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. All four are currently active on charter flights. WDL Aviation has one long-term wet-lease contract with Air France (AF, Paris CDG), operating a single E190 between Strasbourg Enzheim and Amsterdam Schiphol. It has also managed to attract a considerable number of ad-hoc charter deals, focussing on sports clubs and other corporate clients.
