A further 7,500 m² terminal for air freight handling is to be built in Frankfurt Airport’s CargoCity South. The contracting authority is operator Fraport AG. Its management invites interested users to submit their bids by latest 15NOV24.
The offer is non-discriminatory, emphasizes Christian Engel from Fraport’s Corporate Communications department. The current handling agents doing business at the airport will not have any privileges, and all interested parties will have the same chance of obtaining a contract. Contracts will carry a 10-year validity, with the option of an extension.
Stark cargo growth
Engel cites the ongoing growth in air freight in Frankfurt as the key reason for the planned cargo project. The site is also one of the last available plots within CargoCity South. According to traffic statistics from JAN-SEP24, air freight including transit shipments, increased by 7.9% year-on-year to a total volume of 1,522,783 tons. “We expect air freight to continue to grow and increase by 50% to a throughput of around 3 million tons, come 2040,” Fraport’s management forecasts. The ongoing upswing in tonnage documents the importance of Frankfurt Airport as a main European cargo hub and distribution center for a broad range of goods, states management in a press release. In addition, there is a very strong and active local cargo community, which ensures a high basic volume, emphasizes speaker Engel.
Attractive combination of main deck and belly capacity
Frankfurt’s charm also lies in the fact that freighter traffic is complemented by many passenger services, enabling fast transfers of shipments from main deck to lower deck and vice versa. This combination of capacity offerings speeds up the supply chains and makes FRA as cargo hub highly attractive for consignors and shippers.
The planned new cargo facility shall help to cement Rhine-Main’s leading position as the main European freight hub. The rental terms of the contract as defined by operator Fraport, provide for a monthly rent of EUR 11.95 per square meter of floor space and EUR 16.75 per square meter of office space.
The design can be influenced
As soon as written expressions of interest have been received from bidders, Fraport will submit a building permission. Following the conclusion of a legally valid contract, tenants will have the opportunity to influence the construction of the warehouse in advance. For example, the design could be determined by whether traditional air freight dominates, or special products would mainly be processed there, such as e-commerce shipments, for instance.
In contrast to some other warehouses in CargoCity South, that offer tenants direct apron access, the upcoming freight terminal is located in the second row. Attractive, however, are the many truck gates and the large loading area in front of the future building, supplemented by car parking spaces for employees, customers, and visitors. The tenants themselves will be responsible for the interior design of the warehouse, including the fixed inventory.
Provided there is sufficient interest from potential users, Fraport is aiming to conclude a rental agreement by 30JUN25.
