Budapest (BUD), Düsseldorf (DUS) and Hamburg (HAM) airports have joined forces to promote their cargo operations under the slogan ‘Connect Differently’.
The second-tier hubs all have a special focus on cargo, offering flexible operations 365 days a year and all are investing in new facilities and equipment, as cargo volumes at the three airports continue to grow.
Budapest Airport in Hungary last month started construction of its 20,000m² (215,000ft²) Cargo City, part of its €160m (US$185m) development program called BUD2020. The hub, which saw a 39% increase in cargo volumes from 2015 to 2017, handled 141,500 tons of air cargo in the period from October 2017 to September 2018.
Last year, BUD opened two state-of-the-art express facilities with a total area of 16,000m² (172,000ft²) in order to process increasing volumes from the express and e-commerce sectors.
René Droese, executive director property and cargo at Budapest Airport, said, “Budapest is emerging as the leading Central European cargo hub, within reach of almost 20 countries. Cargo-friendly airports, and particularly regional hubs, which often enjoy less congestion and more flexibility, have an important role to play in airfreight’s future.
“Our 24/7 operations allow us to cater to business all over the globe, and our continuous expansion means more businesses view us as the ideal location, with world-class facilities, able to capitalize on this growth.”
Düsseldorf Airport Cargo is a subsidiary of DUS in Germany, which is restructuring to be able to handle up to 200,000 metric tons of cargo a year. The hub is also investing in two customized airside temperature controlled dollies for the transport of pharmaceutical goods from its 12,700m² (137,000ft²) Cargo Processing Area (CPA) to the aircraft.
“Our regions represent strong industrial power, and the logistics market is looking for new direct solutions to distribute air cargo on time and cost efficiently,” said Gerton Hulsman, managing director, Düsseldorf Airport Cargo. “We are an ideal partner to support those needs.”
Hamburg Airport in Germany has invested around €50m (US$58m) in the new Hamburg Airport Cargo Centre (HACC). With efficient operational processes, a direct connection to the apron, and a multi-user concept, the HACC, which opened in 2016, is ideally suited to provide efficient, tailored logistics solutions – with a total capacity for around 150,000 tons of freight per year.
“Second-tier airports like BUD, DUS and HAM are able to process cargo swiftly and this, combined with our customer focus and flexibility makes us an attractive option for freight customers,” said Alexander Mueller, head of cargo, Hamburg Airport.
“Hamburg as the third largest aviation center in the world and with its third largest container port in Europe is also one of the largest business regions in Germany. In cooperation with Düsseldorf and Budapest airports our position is optimal.”