DHL Brussel’s decision due by end of year
DHL expects to decide on the future of its main European air hub in Brussels, Belgium, by the end of this year, senior executives have confirmed.
The German-owned global logistics player is concerned that continuing environmentalist and political pressures to restrict night-time flying at Brussels Airport would limit the company’s ability to further expand its own operations there.
‘We need to grow our network in Europe and that means putting on more flights,’ stated DHL Aviation (UK) hub and gateway director Danny Pedri. ‘So it comes down to a question of where we can do that.’
The Belgian government had expressed an interest in keeping DHL in Belgium, Mr Pedri continued, so the company was now waiting to hear back from them about any options they might be able to put forward.
‘If we had to move from Brussels it could take a while to develop new hub facilities somewhere else so we don’t want to wait for ever to decide what to do,’ Mr Pedri said. ‘In fact, the company expects to make a decision by the end of this year.’
If no solution was found to keep DHL in Belgium, continued Mr Pedri, the company had identified Vatry International Airport in North East France or Leipzig’Halle Airport in Central Germany as potential alternative bases.
Asked whether DHL would look to create any new central air hub on the same scale as the existing Brussels operation or expand its network through various regional hub developments, Mr Pedri said the company was still keeping all options open.
One of the problems for DHL to date, in terms of trying to determine whether to maintain its hub in Brussels, has been the often conflicting political signals coming from the various regional and federal government authorities involved.
At times recently, agreed DHL executives, it had appeared as if night flights at that airport were set to be seriously curtailed or even banned altogether. Then, though, there would be talk of seeking ways to ensure that the company and all the related jobs and beneficial impact on the local economy remained in Brussels.
One possibly positive sign for DHL emerged earlier this month when rival operator TNT Express announced it had finally won a long-running legal dispute with protesters objecting to night flights at its European air hub in Liege, Belgium.
The protesters had wanted the Liege Court of Appeal to close the airport or ban all night flights by the international express operator.
However, reported TNT Express, the court had now dismissed their case on every argument.
