DHL Global Forwarding has begun full operations at its newly built airfreight warehouse at Frankfurt Airport.
The facility is situated near Gate 31 in CargoCity South.
DHL Group, the air and seafreight specialist, now has expanded capacity at a single central location, enabling it to handle up to 300,000 metric tons of cargo annually.
Previously, the company split its operations across three sites at Frankfurt Airport. Fraport, the owner and operator of Frankfurt Airport, designed and built the airfreight warehouse to align with its customers' needs.
Construction, from groundbreaking to handover to DHL, was completed as scheduled in just over a year.
[Source: Fraport]
Anke Giesen, executive director Retail and Real Estate at Fraport AG, said the launch of full operations by DHL Global Forwarding at the airfreight warehouse is a major milestone in the ongoing development of Frankfurt Airport as an airfreight hub.
"Under the CargoHub Masterplan, Fraport aims to increase cargo volumes at FRA by some 50% to around three million metric tons of airfreight per year. In this context, the new warehouse is a major project for Fraport's real estate development team, and it's now been completed on schedule."
The new facility includes 24,500 square meters of warehouse space on a 55,000 square meter site.
It also features flexible office and meeting spaces that occupy 3,000 square meters.
In total, the warehouse has 54 gates and truck docks with associated roadways and maneuvering areas. The facility also has 25 parking spaces for trucks and 185 spaces for other vehicles — 20 of these spaces are equipped with e-charging stations.
A large photovoltaic system is currently being built on the warehouse roof, with peak generation of two megawatts. Upon commissioning, the green energy produced will be fed into the airport grid.
Citing its design and sustainability performance, Fraport said it is pursuing ESG verification under the EU taxonomy and gold‑level certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) for the facility.
The completed facility will play a key role in handling forecast growth in the airfreight market.
Fraport AG is focusing on the expansion of Frankfurt as an airfreight hub over the coming years with its CargoHub Masterplan.
The plan involves three key initiatives: space optimization, space development, and digitization & process innovation.
The blueprint sees Fraport continuing to develop Frankfurt Airport on a sustainable basis, and in a way that matches freight demand — allowing Fraport's partners and customers to find ideal conditions for further future growth - with high levels of connectivity, modern infrastructure, and efficient processes.
