The DHL Group has been using Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ) since 2008. Meanwhile, LEJ has become the integrator’s largest global hub. On average, 2,000 tons of freight are handled every night. That translates into 350,000 single shipments being handled and flown to more than 50 destinations worldwide. Last Thursday (01AUG24), however, there were significantly fewer volumes handled at LEJ. Climate activists had infiltrated the security area and paralyzed air traffic for hours.
Ahead of schedule, operator Leipzig Airport and DHL have extended their partnership to 2053. As DHL CEO, Tobias Meyer said at the signing of the contract, the prolongation of the deal paves the way for further investment in the site and it guarantees long-term job security. “Even though the fees have not been raised significantly, the result is economically viable,” stated Mr. Meyer.
According to the executive, DHL will pay around 20% higher operational fees than done so far. In the past, this amounted to EUR 61 million per year. The new accord also includes an adjustment to night flight operations, although neither DHL nor Leipzig management revealed specifics.
Upping LEJ’s cashflow
The expected higher cashflow is essential for the airport, as it has accumulated millions in losses over the past few years. Although management denies debts amounting to EUR145 million according to local media reports, it feels compelled to take a tough restructuring course in order to improve the dire situation.
In addition to new financial conditions, the deal between LEJ and DHL apparently also includes a commitment to expand the number of parking positions for freighter aircraft. Insiders say that these are to be increased from the current 60 to 100. This will enable more traffic, thus increasing DHL’s revenue and at the same time upping the airport’s income, nurtured by additional landing fees.
Long-term perspective
Majority shareholder of the airport company, which includes the two airports Leipzig and Dresden and the ground handling company PortGround, is the federal state of Saxony (80%). Its President, Michael Kretschmer, praised the deal with DHL, saying: “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 hubs for air freight. 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 an outstanding logistics location. The extended partnership with DHL ensures that Saxony will play a leading role in the growing international trade.”
The Last Generation’s aberrations
However, as soon as the new contract was signed, Leipzig suffered a setback. Climate activists from the ‘Letzte Generation / Last Generation’ group managed to penetrate the security area and paralyzed cargo flight operations for several hours. The activists called for a rethink of aviation policy and criticized the planned expansion of airport capacity.
Their gluing campaign led to a temporary suspension of cargo flight lasting three hours and affecting 19 DHL flights which had to be diverted to other airports. “We reserve the right to take legal action against the activists,” said the airport’s Head of Communications, Uwe Schuhart, when approached by CargoForwarder Global.
Lately, the radical climate campaigners have become a hazard for civil aviation in Germany. They gained illegal access to the security areas of a variety of airports, including Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt, causing cancellations or diversions of hundreds of flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, and causing severe delays to cargo shipments. Lufthansa has now decided to take action: The carrier announced that it is filing claims for losses suffered by the actions of ‘Last Generation’ members, amounting to 740,000 euros.
