DHL Group has extended the framework agreement with Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG (MFAG) ahead of schedule by a further 15 years until 2053. The company is making a significant contribution to the economic stability and future viability of Leipzig/Halle Airport and the region. In addition, the Group will continue to expand the aprons over the next few years and reaffirm its commitment to the Schkeuditz site.
Tobias Meyer, CEO DHL Group said, “The DHL Hub in Leipzig is an important engine for the economy of Central Germany. We welcome the extension of the framework agreement, which gives us planning security, enables further investment in the site and provides long-term security for the jobs at the hub. Even though we are now paying significantly higher fees for the remaining term of the old agreement, the result is economically viable. We would like to expressly thank the Saxon state government for its continued strong commitment to the site. At the same time, we hope that MFAG will successfully overcome its structural problems and that business beyond DHL will also develop positively. DHL’s development at the Schkeuditz site is a success story and we hope for further fruitful cooperation with all partners involved.”
Michael Kretschmer, Prime Minister of Saxony said, “The DHL Hub in Leipzig stands for the Saxon success story of which we in Saxony are proud. In just 16 years, Leipzig/Halle Airport has grown into one of the world’s most important centers for air freight. The Free State of Saxony successfully campaigned for the establishment of the hub in 2008; today we have created a long-term perspective for further investment in Leipzig as a logistics location. The extended partnership with DHL ensures that Saxony will play a leading role in the growing international trade.”
About the DHL Hub in Leipzig
Opened in 2008, the DHL air freight hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport is the largest of three global hubs in the DHL Express network with a unique significance for the Group’s worldwide logistics. The location has positive effects on the labor market and economic development in all neighboring districts. As a result, the region has developed into one of the world’s leading logistics locations. Every night, 2,000 tons of freight in the form of 350,000 shipments are handled and flown to more than 50 destinations worldwide by an average of 75 aircraft per working day. The Group has so far invested around 780 million euros at the Leipzig site and created more than 7,000 jobs.
The air cargo hub was the first Group site to cover most of its electricity, heating and cooling energy requirements itself. This is ensured by a combined heat and power plant and 1,000 square meters of solar cells on the roof of the workshop at the hangar to generate electricity from solar energy. In addition, two underground cisterns provide around 3,000 cubic meters of rainwater per year, which is used instead of drinking water for washing the aircraft. DHL Group aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from 39 million to 29 million tons of CO2e by 2030. This also includes the purchase and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). In addition, the Group has set itself the goal of reducing all logistics-related emissions worldwide to net zero by 2050.
