Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ) is to gain a second Cargo City in the northern part of the German hub after its shareholders cleared the way for investments in new apron areas, logistics and office buildings.
The airport handled around 1.2m tonnes of airfreight in 2018, making it Germany’s second-largest cargo airport.
Taken together with the expansion of the DHL’s integrator facilities, which were announced last year, the planned investments will total about €500m – the largest such package for the central German airports since the 1990s.
The airport company Mitteldeutsche Flughafen will bear the responsibility for the latest tranche of planned investment.
Freight volumes at Leipzig/Halle Airport have increased more than tenfold since 2007.
The growth driver at Leipzig/Halle is primarily the DHL hub although more than 50 cargo airlines are now operating flights to LEJ.
Saxony’s finance minister, Matthias Hass, who represents the Free State of Saxony as the main shareholder, said: “Leipzig/Halle Airport is developing very well. It and its surrounding area are the major job creator for the region. We’re continuing to invest in the future of the airport to continue growth in the long term.”
Götz Ahmelmann, chief executive of Mitteldeutsche Flughafen, said: “I’m delighted that the shareholders are supporting our course with such commitment. We can now continue to expand our excellent market position for cargo.
“Leipzig/Halle Airport is already the fifth-largest freight hub in Europe and the second-largest in Germany. And this growth is continuing: we were able to set a new record with freight volumes totalling 110,419 tonnes as recently as March 2019.”
