The volumes handled by DHL are the primary driver of growth at the airport. The company has been maintaining the largest hub in its global network at Leipzig/Halle since 2008 – and it has invested EUR 655 million in construction work there.
The freight charter business of other logistics providers has also developed far beyond average levels. The route network for freight traffic overall includes more than 200 airports around the globe and over 60 cargo airlines fly to them.
“The significant growth in freight volumes underlines the potential at Leipzig/Halle Airport, which offers ideal conditions for air traffic and logistics companies as a multimodal base at the heart of Europe,” says Johannes Jähn, Spokesman for the Board of Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG and Managing Director of Flughafen Leipzig/Halle GmbH.
Leipzig/Halle Airport: a 24/7 permit for cargo flights, direct links to the trans-European road and railway networks, plenty of space and capacity for further development and extensive logistics services from one source.
Having handled freight volumes of 1.14 million tonnes in 2017, Leipzig/Halle Airport is Europe’s fifth-largest air cargo hub.
More than 60 cargo airlines regularly use the airport every year and fly to more than 200 destinations around the globe.
The airport has a 24-hour operating permit for cargo flights as well as direct links to the trans-European motorway and railway networks in a north-south and east-west direction. As a result, Leipzig/Halle offers ideal conditions for transporting goods by road and rail. The runway system comprises two parallel runways, each 3,600 metres long, and they can be used independently of each other in CAT IIIb conditions.
DHL has been operating its European hub at the airport since 2008.
Leipzig/Halle Airport is also the home base for AeroLogic, a joint venture operated by DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo.
Two Antonov 124-100 aircraft have been permanently stationed at Leipzig/Halle since March 2006 as part of the SALIS Project (Strategic Airlift International Solution).
The airport is also the base for a subsidiary of the Volga-Dnepr Group, Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Service GmbH (AMTES GmbH), which has a maintenance basis for Antonov 124 and western aircraft at the airport.
Regular freight charter flights and a scheduled link to Moscow operated by Air Bridge Cargo are also available.
Plenty of space and capacity
Several hundred hectares of building land are also on hand at and around the airport; building rights already exist for some of it and this offers ideal general conditions and long-term planning and investment reliability for air traffic companies and those with links to the world of logistics.
Extensive logistics services from one source
PortGround GmbH offers logistics, ground handling and cargo services as well as other facilities at Leipzig/Halle and Dresden Airports as a subsidiary of Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG.
The company has IATA-certified personnel (International Air Transport Association) to handle all types of aircraft and all kinds of freight, including large animals. The company’s spectrum of services ranges from loading and unloading aircraft – including all the transport activities on the apron area – to tasks covered by aircraft services; these include tugging aircraft, providing assistance with starting engines, internal cleaning as well as supplying fresh water and disposing of waste water. PortGround is responsible for de-icing aircraft during the winter months, too.
PortGround is also the service provider that operates a refrigerated warehouse at the World Cargo Center, which can accommodate complete aircraft loads of temperate-sensitive goods. When this was put into service, certification of the warehouse space was also obtained according to the European “Good Distribution Practice” (GDP) guidelines. The company is also seeking to gain IATA “CEIV” certification, which includes the complete supply chain for transporting high-quality pharmaceutical products.
In the area of air freight, PortGround not only offers physical and documentary handling for consignments, but also trucking services and training courses. It provides services and advice related to the issues of hazardous goods and air freight security too.
PortGround is certified as a regulated agent and as an authorised economic operator (AEO).