France-based express package handler Sodexi, a joint venture of Air France-KLM (65 per cent) and Geopost (35 per cent), began operation of a new 7,600 sq m (818,000 sq ft) express freight terminal at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport last week.

The €22 million (approx. US$25.94 million) facility, owned and developed by Aéroports de Paris, but financed by Sodexi, has an annual capacity of up to 55,000 tonnes of express freight.

Jérôme Balbi, managing director of Sodexi, said: “With the new express hub, located right next to the passenger terminals, Sodexi has acquired a modern, high-performance facility, ideal for processing flows of international express freight, particularly e-commerce-related.

“Located just a few minutes from the aircraft parking stands, we will be able to offer our customers extremely rapid transit times between two commercial flights, just like passengers making a connection at Paris-Charles de Gaulle. A parcel collected at the end of the previous afternoon in Hong Kong will arrive in Paris early in the morning, and can be connected straight away to a flight to southern Europe or Scandinavia, for example, with delivery in the early afternoon.”