DHL axes Brussels as intercontinental hub
DHL axes Brussels as intercontinental hub
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DHL pulls international hub out of Brussels after dispute over night flights
The DHL parcel delivery service said Thursday it was pulling its intercontinental hub – and thousands of jobs – out of Belgium because authorities refused to accept an increase in noisy night flights. DHL workers immediately went on strike to protest the loss of some 1,700 jobs, instead of the thousands in additional jobs they had been promised under the company’s planned expansion of its hub in the Belgian capital. “We had a vision of making Brussels national airport the most modern and state-of-the-art hub of global logistics network. However we have now reached the point where we realize that there is no political support,” said DHL Express Europe CEO Peter Kruse. Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, however, said the talks finally broke down because DHL kept on adding “additional conditions, additional planes, more flights. Of course, they made it impossible.”
Read MoreBrussels national airport remains as regional hub for DHL
The letter of 19 October signed by the three governments and the ‘Federal Compromise’ of 30 September regrettably do not allow DHL to create an intercontinental hub at Brussels National Airport. The political consensus that was needed for DHL to further grow at the airport in Belgium could not be found. Until 2008, the current business activities at Brussels National Airport will remain stable. The company will continue its assessment of the remaining options for expansion: Leipzig (Germany) and Vatry (France).
DHL regrets that despite the intensive involvement of the Federal Government and major efforts by DHL, no official nor adequate proposal has been sent to the company’s management. This will prevent DHL from implementing its long-term expansion plan at Brussels National Airport and from creating an intercontinental hub.
Read MoreDHL talks with Belgian govt in stalemate, its departure inevitable
Deutsche Post World Net AG unit DHL’s talks with the Belgian government over the expansion of Brussels airport into its regional mail hub have reached stalemate, with the company’s departure ‘inevitable’, according to Belgian business daily L’Echo. ‘Discussions are sticking on the number of night flights undertaken by the large cargo planes MD11s, on the horizon in 2011,’ L’Echo reported without citing sources. ‘Too noisy for the government, irreplaceable for DHL.’ The paper said the express courier service will have no choice but to move to one of the other two airports on its shortlist. The delocalisation of the company to one of the other sites of Vatry in France or Leipzig in Germany seems practically inevitable in these conditions, the paper said.
Read MoreDHL critical of Belgian government proposal on noisy night flights
DHL criticized a Belgian government proposal for dealing with noisy night flights over the capital as unfeasible Tuesday, and threatened to move its European hub and thousands of jobs out of the country. The German-based parcel delivery company told Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt that if it’s not allowed to fly at least 16 more intercontinental flights out of Brussels airport, the company will be forced to downgrade operations in Belgium and move its hub elsewhere. Under a government compromise being studied, DHL would be allocated four extra night flights until it takes action to reduce noise over the densely populated capital region. The company would be asked to upgrade or renew its McDonnell Douglas MD11 aircraft by 2011 or buy other quieter jets.
DHL said such a plan was not viable. “If we want to have our intercontinental hub, we need to have planes that can fly intercontinental flights,” said DHL spokesman Xavier De Buck.
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