DHL Express to add freighter capacity to its expanded hub in Kempegowda Airport
DHL Express plans to add freighter capacity to India’s Kempegowda International Airport after opening its expanded €22m Bengaluru Gateway within the hub.
Using 11 DHL-operated intercontinental freighters, 30 international commercial airlines and 70 domestic flights on a weekly basis, the Bengaluru Gateway currently connects both South and West India to over 220 countries and territories through DHL’s global network.
An additional six dedicated intercontinental freighters will join the current fleet by November 2021, bringing the total number of aircraft operating through Bengaluru to 17.
As the largest airside express handling facility in India, the gateway enables DHL Express to offer 12 to 24 hours faster connection and delivery of imported goods across India, and reduce daily cut-off time for shipment pick-up by up to 60 minutes.
Spanning over 112,000 sq ft, the Bengaluru Gateway is more than four times larger than the previous facility and will support India’s robust trade driven by the exponential growth in the e-commerce sector.
When operating at full capacity, the new and expanded facility can handle over 90,000 tons of shipments per year.
Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific, said, “As one of the world’s fastest growing economies, India remains a critical node of the global DHL network. The Bengaluru Gateway is part of our €750m investment to bolster our infrastructure in Asia Pacific and enhance connectivity for countries and businesses.
“With strong international imports and exports driving the increasing cargo volume in Bengaluru, our new facility supports Bengaluru’s strategy to provide capacity of one million tons at its airport in the next few years.”
The gateway’s primary export trade lanes are North America and Europe while Asia Pacific and Europe are the key import trade lanes for Bengaluru.
The expanded Gateway will provide greater capacity to support industries such as electronics, automotive, life sciences and medical, and fashion in Bengaluru.
Coupled with the enlarged infrastructure and additional dedicated DHL flights, these trade lanes will benefit greatly from the increased capacity and speed.
