Leipzig/Halle Airport: cargo handling hits new record

January 24, 2020

Cargo handling at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Europe’s fifth largest air cargo hub, increased last year for the fifteenth time in succession. A total of 1,238,343 tonnes were handled, representing year-on-year growth of 1.4 percent.

In December last year, the volume increased by 2.9 percent to 104,365 tonnes compared to the same month last year, putting growth well ahead of the trend for Germany as a whole.

Leipzig/Halle Airport: 24/7 for cargo flights, direct links to trans-European road and rail networks, space and capacity reserves and comprehensive logistics services from one source

With a volume of around 1.24 million tonnes in 2019, Leipzig/Halle Airport is the fifth largest air cargo hub in Europe and the second largest in Germany. Cargo handling at the airport has increased more than tenfold since 2007 and is continuing to grow.

This growth is driven primarily by the presence of the DHL hub at Leipzig/Halle, although non-DHL cargo business at the airport is also on the up, with a total of more than 50 cargo airlines flying to more than 200 destinations worldwide every year.

To meet the rising demand, the coming years will see investments totalling around €500 million being made in new aprons, logistics and office buildings in the northern and southern parts of the airport.

Leipzig/Halle Airport has a 24-hour operating permit for cargo flights and a direct connection to the trans-European motorway and rail networks in a north-south and east-west direction. It is therefore ideally placed for onward transportation of goods by road and rail. The runway system comprises two parallel 3,600 metre runways which can be used independently of one another, including under CAT III-B conditions.

DHL has operated its European hub at Leipzig/Halle since 2008. It is the largest in its global network and has so far had €655 million invested in it.

In addition, there are plans to extend the infrastructure in the area of the apron used by DHL.

Leipzig/Halle Airport is also the base airport of AeroLogic, a joint venture between DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo.

James Graham

James Graham is an award-winning transport media journalist with a long background in the commercial freight sector, including commercial aviation and the aviation supply chain. He was the initial Air Cargo Week journalist and retuned later for a stint as editor. He continues his association as editor of the monthly supplements. He has reported for the newspaper from global locations as well as the UK.