Amazon reportedly eyeing German airport
Amazon may be considering the idea of taking a stake in Germany’s Frankfurt-Hahn airport, according to unconfirmed local media reports – but airport staff have dismissed the news as “all rumours”. The German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung has reported that the airport’s owner, the county of Rhineland-Palatinate, has held discussions with three possible bidders, one of which was said to be Amazon.
There has been no official confirmation of this report.
The airport is about a hundred kilometres from Koblenz, where Amazon has a large fulfilment centre.
As previously reported, Amazon recently leased 20 freight airplanes from Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) and has been ramping up its intermodal capabilities.
The claims about Amazon’s alleged interest in Hahn Airport have reignited the media’s interest in the “Dragon Boat” report that was presented to Amazon senior management in 2013. Amongst other things, the report presented the idea that Amazon could benefit from launching its own global supply chain.
UPDATE AT 14:25 BST
A spokesperson for Frankfurt-Hahn Airport told Lloyd’s Loading List today (18 April) that the reports about Amazon’s supposed interest were “all rumours”. However, she also noted that this was a matter for the airport’s owner, the county of Rhineland-Palatinate, and the airport itself is not involved in the selling-process and cannot comment on it.
