AeroLogic

When the big freighters taxi at Leipzig/Halle in the evening, a Boeing 777F from AeroLogic is often among them. The airline is a rewarding but also slightly tricky sighting for spotters: There is only a single aircraft type, but two completely different liveries and two major customers. If you look closely, you quickly notice that not every yellow 777 freighter is simply “DHL.” This page shows you how to identify AeroLogic reliably.

AeroLogic at a glance

AeroLogic is a German all-cargo airline headquartered in Schkeuditz, right at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Two heavyweights of air freight stand behind it: DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo each hold half of the shares. That makes AeroLogic closely tied to the Lufthansa Group, but it does not belong to it entirely.

The company was founded in 2007. In May 2009, the first Boeing 777F landed in Leipzig – AeroLogic was thus the first German airline to operate this freighter. Scheduled service began in June 2009. Since then, the fleet has grown step by step: Used aircraft, among others from LATAM Cargo and Emirates, joined the first eight new aircraft, along with further new deliveries directly from Boeing.

AeroLogic mainly flies long-haul cargo. According to the airline, its routes lead to Europe, Asia and North America. A 777F carries more than 100 tons per flight. According to the company, it employs more than 1,000 people.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code 3S: appears in flight numbers and cargo documents. For spotters it plays a smaller role, because cargo flights rarely show up on departure boards.
• ICAO code BOX: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on flight trackers. The code is easy to remember – a box is exactly what AeroLogic transports, after all.
• Callsign GERMAN CARGO: this is how the crew identifies itself on the radio. The name goes back to a former Lufthansa cargo subsidiary.

With cargo airlines in particular, the ICAO code is the most important tool. Many freighters look at first glance like aircraft of the customer but are flown by a completely different company. What flight number and callsign each mean is explained in the article on the difference between callsign and flight number; for a general introduction, see IATA and ICAO codes explained.

A joint venture with two customers

What is special about AeroLogic is its double life. The airline works for both shareholders, following a fixed rhythm: During the week the freighters mainly fly in DHL Express’s network, which operates its big European hub in Leipzig. On weekends they are mainly out for Lufthansa Cargo, whose most important location is Frankfurt. That is why Frankfurt is AeroLogic’s second base alongside Leipzig.

For you as a spotter, that has practical consequences. A freighter you photograph in Leipzig on Tuesday may be on a completely different route on Saturday. If you want to see AeroLogic in Frankfurt specifically, don’t just look at weekdays.

Feature	During the week	On weekends
Main customer	DHL Express	Lufthansa Cargo
Typical reference point	Leipzig/Halle with the DHL hub	Frankfurt as Lufthansa Cargo’s home
What you see	Lots of traffic in the evening and at night	Operations in the Lufthansa Cargo network

Besides AeroLogic, European Air Transport Leipzig also flies for DHL in Leipzig. The two are often confused but are separate companies: European Air Transport is a DHL subsidiary with a mixed fleet, while AeroLogic is a joint venture with an all-777F fleet.

The fleet: only Boeing 777Fs

Since day one, AeroLogic has relied on a single type: the Boeing 777F. It is the freighter version of the Boeing 777 and is based on the long-range 777-200LR; you can get to know the family on the page for the Boeing 777-200ER. According to AeroLogic, 28 aircraft are in service; the 28th aircraft, D-AERB, arrived in Leipzig in September 2025, shortly after its sister D-AERA.

Type	Number	Payload	Engines	Spotter note
Boeing 777F	28 (as of fall 2025)	more than 100 t	2 × General Electric GE90	Partly DHL livery, partly white AeroLogic design

The 777F is a long-haul freighter with a large main deck and cargo hold on the lower deck. Its two GE90 engines are among the largest engines in commercial service and are an eye-catcher even from a distance. Compared with older four-engine aircraft such as the freighter version of the Boeing 747-8 or three-engine classics like the MD-11, it is considered more economical and quieter; AeroLogic itself describes its fleet as one of the quieter and more fuel-efficient cargo fleets.

The fleet structure makes AeroLogic interesting for collectors: With 28 aircraft, the fleet is manageable. If you consistently note registrations, you can set yourself the goal of eventually having every aircraft in your logbook.

How to recognize AeroLogic

AeroLogic has two faces. Around half of the fleet wears the full DHL livery: yellow fuselage, red titles, the familiar DHL logo. These aircraft are hard to tell apart from other DHL freighters at first glance – only registration and ICAO code help here. The remaining aircraft fly in AeroLogic’s own, mostly white design.

To tell it apart from other 777 freighters, take a look at the guide Identifying cargo aircraft. And if you want to know what the letters after the D- mean, the article Understanding aircraft registrations helps.

Spotting AeroLogic in Germany

Leipzig/Halle

The home airport is the first address. Leipzig/Halle is one of Europe’s most important cargo airports and home to the big DHL hub. Activity here peaks in the evening and at night, because express freight is handled overnight. You’ll find an overview of the airport on the page for Leipzig/Halle Airport, and an official viewpoint is described in the entry for the observation deck at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

If you photograph in the dark, you need different technique than during the day. You’ll find tips on exposure and tripods in the article Photographing aircraft at night. Why so much flying happens in Leipzig at night in the first place is explained in the overview of night flight bans at German airports.

Frankfurt

Frankfurt is the second base and the home of Lufthansa Cargo. Here you have good chances especially on weekends, when AeroLogic freighters are operating in the Lufthansa Cargo network. At Frankfurt Airport, the Zeppelinheim viewing platform is a good option. Depending on the day, you’ll also see other cargo airlines there, such as Cargolux, FedEx Express or UPS Airlines – ideal for seeing the 777F in direct comparison.

Before you take up position at a spot, it’s worth checking the runway direction in use. How to judge it is shown in the guide to runway direction in use at the airport. If you’re new to this, Plane spotting for beginners will help you get started.

AeroLogic compared

AeroLogic is one of several cargo airlines you regularly see in Germany. The comparison helps put it in context:

Airline	Home	Typical aircraft	Feature
AeroLogic	Leipzig/Halle	Boeing 777F	Joint venture of DHL and Lufthansa Cargo
Lufthansa Cargo	Frankfurt	Boeing 777F and other freighters	Lufthansa’s cargo subsidiary, own livery
European Air Transport Leipzig	Leipzig/Halle	mixed cargo fleet	DHL subsidiary
Cargolux	Luxembourg	Boeing 747 freighters	One of Europe’s major all-cargo airlines

You also often see the passenger sister of the 777F in Frankfurt, for example as a Boeing 777-300ER at Emirates or Lufthansa. The freighter is shorter than the 777-300ER and has no rows of windows – you spot that quickly when both land one after the other.

Common mix-ups

• Taking every yellow 777F for “DHL” – AeroLogic flies many of them. Registration and ICAO code decide.
• Confusing AeroLogic with European Air Transport Leipzig – both fly for DHL from Leipzig but are separate airlines with different codes.
• Taking AeroLogic for a pure Lufthansa subsidiary – Lufthansa Cargo holds only half, and the other half belongs to DHL Express.
• Assigning the callsign GERMAN CARGO wrongly – it belongs to AeroLogic, not to Lufthansa Cargo.
• Confusing the 777F with a 777-200 – missing windows and the large cargo door on the main deck give away the freighter.

Conclusion

AeroLogic is the cargo airline you can hardly miss in Leipzig – and still easily log wrongly. Behind the yellow DHL livery or the white design of its own, there is always the same company with the same Boeing 777F. If you note registration and ICAO code, you can assign every sighting cleanly and collect your way piece by piece through the manageable fleet.