DHL Global Forwarding, the air and seafreight specialist of DHL Group, has officially commenced full operations at its newly constructed airfreight warehouse at Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
Located near Gate 31 in CargoCity South, the state-of-the-art facility consolidates DHL’s operations into a single central hub, significantly expanding handling capacity to up to 300,000 metric tons of cargo per year. Previously, DHL’s airfreight activities were spread across three separate sites at FRA.
Fraport’s Strategic CargoHub Development
The 55,000 sqm site was designed and built by Fraport AG, the owner and operator of Frankfurt Airport, in alignment with DHL’s operational requirements. Construction, from groundbreaking to handover, was completed in just over a year.
Anke Giesen, Executive Director Retail and Real Estate at Fraport AG, commented:
“The launch of DHL Global Forwarding’s new airfreight warehouse is a major milestone in Frankfurt Airport’s ongoing development as a leading cargo hub. Under the CargoHub Masterplan, Fraport aims to increase annual air cargo volumes by 50% to around three million metric tons. This project is a cornerstone of that strategy, and we are proud it was completed on schedule.”
Facility Highlights & Green Innovation
The new DHL warehouse features:
- 24,500 sqm of warehouse space
- 3,000 sqm of office and meeting areas
- 54 truck gates and docks with extensive maneuvering areas
- 25 dedicated truck parking spaces and 185 vehicle spaces, including 20 EV charging stations
- A photovoltaic rooftop system with a peak output of 2 megawatts, supplying renewable energy directly to the airport grid
Fraport is seeking EU taxonomy ESG verification and Gold certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) for the facility’s sustainable design and energy-efficient operations.
Driving Future Cargo Growth at FRA
With its expanded capacity and advanced sustainability features, the DHL warehouse will play a pivotal role in supporting forecasted growth in the global airfreight market while reinforcing Frankfurt Airport’s status as one of Europe’s most important logistics hubs.