DHL gears up for ''soft'' Leipzig hub launch

DHL grows at Leipzig DHL Express will gradually build up flight operations at its new EUR 300 million European air hub at Leipzig over the coming 12 months to ensure a smooth transition from its existing hub in Brussels and to avoid the kind of operational problems that hit the opening of its US hub at Wilmington two years ago.

In July, DHL handling staff from Brussels, Cologne and Britain will test loading and unloading procedures at Leipzig, Achim Zimmermann, Sales Manager West at DHL Express Germany, said in an interview at the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich. Leipzig will be one of three DHL Express intercontinental air hubs alongside Wilmington and Hong Kong on opening in mid-2008.

DHL Express already operates 14 cargo planes on European overnight flights between Leipzig, the Brussels hub, its Cologne gateway and a number of Central and Eastern European destinations. These services, carrying about 160 tonnes of cargo daily, were moved from Berlin Schoenefeld airport over the last two years. The DHL hub buildings are currently under construction on a 53 hectare area adjoining the extended, 3.6 km southern runway.

In the next phase, about 6-8 flights will be transferred from Cologne to the Leipzig gateway during the third quarter of this year, Zimmermann said. All Cologne flights are scheduled to move to Leipzig by the end of 2007. During the first half of 2008, flights will gradually be transferred from Brussels to Leipzig.

“By August 2008 this will be complete and hub operations will start,” Zimmermann said. As well as DHL’s own European short-haul flights, Lufthansa Cargo will relocate its MD-11F long-haul flights operated on behalf of DHL to the new European air hub. In all, about 50 DHL cargo planes are due to operate daily at Leipzig, carrying about 2,000 tonnes of cargo.

In view of the operational difficulties at the opening of the Wilmington hub in autumn 2005 when two different hubs were merged at one location, DHL Express is taking a more cautious approach this time. “We have a back-up scenario. Cologne and Brussels will remain open as gateways. If there are any problems at Leipzig, we can relocate immediately,” Zimmermann pointed out. “We will always be able to switch in future if there are any problems.”

In particular, DHL Express will be responsible for its own aircraft handling at Leipzig, making it independent of airport staff and creating opportunities for third-party handling contracts, he noted. DHL will also have its own hangar for technical maintenance.

At Leipzig, DHL Express would benefit from the proximity of DHL parcel and freight forwarding facilities, the airport’s close geographical position to emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe, its good multi-modal infrastructure with motorway connections and a nearby railhead, and the relocation of logistics facilities to the airport’s surrounding area, Zimmermann pointed out.