Last week, the freight division of Frankfurt Airport staged a three-day roadshow at four Indian cities: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Delhi. The reason for the Fraport manager’s trip is the fast ascent of the southeast Asian country’s economy, which turns it into an increasingly attractive market for air freight.
Through the events, Frankfurt wanted to raise the local actors’ awareness of its role as a central European hub for air freight and demonstrate the airport’s abilities in handling complex cargo processes. Conversely, the better understanding of the complexity of the Indian air freight ecosystem, the customs clearance procedures and the framework conditions for the business was also an important part of the information exchange.
Deepening the mutual understanding
The meetings, including many bilaterals, enabled the Fraport delegation to better understand the current needs and challenges in the Indian market. “This information helps us to better tailor our own services to the requirements of Indian exporters and logistics partners,” stated Denis de Farias Duarte, Vice President Cargo Development at Fraport. This applies in particular to pharmaceuticals which play a leading role in the country, but also to perishable goods, high-tech products and the courier services sectors. These goods are top of the list of goods flown from India to Europe. In the reverse direction, it is machinery, tools, automotive, instruments and, increasingly, airparts. “We were able to see for ourselves and got a better understanding of the air freight market through discussions with our Indian hosts, the great prospects for some of the key products made in India. In Mumbai and Hyderabad, pharmaceuticals and perishables dominate, while the local Bangalore and Delhi economies are strong performers in the high-tech and fashion sectors,” summarizes Denis de Farias Duarte.
“India continues to be a critical market for global trade, and we are excited to engage with key players from the region to explore how Frankfurt Airport can further support India’s ambitions in becoming a global logistics powerhouse,” said Simone Schwab, Senior Vice President Aviation & Cargo Development, Frankfurt Airport. She emphasized that the roadshow will not only highlight the airport’s state of the art infrastructure but also underline its commitment to building stronger ties with India’s dynamic cargo ecosystem.
Special cargo is fast outperforming standard goods
Similarly, the Indian participants were informed about the broad range of services offered to customers by companies doing business at Frankfurt Airport. More than 250 companies are based there, ensuring smooth cargo flows. Of particular interest to the Indian air freight managers and governemnt officials, was the information on the rapidly growing importance of special products for Frankfurt Airport. Ten of the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical manufacturers are located within a 250-kilometer radius of Frankfurt Airport. Fraport offers users 22,000 square meters of cool rooms for the handling of temperature-controlled shipments, with differing temperature ranges depending on the respective product segment.
CargoHub Masterplan: FRA’s new USP
The presentation of the CargoHub masterplan by the Fraport delegates was probably also new to most of the Indian attendees. Fraport expects air freight volumes of over three million tons to be flown by 2040. This is an increase of around 50% compared to the previous peak in 2021. In order to enable the smooth handling of these volumes, freight forwarding facilities with up to 150,000 square meters of hall space on an area covering 250,000 square meters, are currently being developed and will be available from 2028 onwards. In addition to the development of space and the expansion of the ground infrastructure, Fraport’s master plan highlights the fields of digitalization and process innovation. To round it off: Thee roadshows have shown how important it is to know the specific needs of a market, to respond to the needs of customers and to be in close contact with local companies. These insights will also be useful for future events in other markets, summarized Fraport Cargo in a release.
