Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG and DHL extend partnership until 2053
Leipzig/Halle Airport: Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG (MFAG) and the DHL Group have extended their working relationship for a further 29 years until 2053. DHL has been operating its largest hub in the world at Leipzig/Halle Airport since 2008 and is planning further growth at the site.
“Signing this agreement marks the continuation of a twenty-year partnership. DHL, which is our most important customer, has underlined its close connection with the airport for decades to come,” said Götz Ahmelmann, the CEO of MFAG, emphasizing his point, and adds, “The agreements signed here create planning and investment certainty for DHL and ensure long-term and dependable economic prospects for our company.”
Attracting DHL to the airport created key momentum for the region. It made a significant contribution to the dynamic expansion of an internationally important logistics cluster. The development of the air freight hub consolidates Leipzig/Halle Airport’s position as one of the most important cargo airports in Europe. This location factor is pivotal for attracting further investments totaling billions of euros to the region.
The extended framework agreement is therefore a significant milestone for Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt – and for the future viability of MFAG, which is the parent company of Leipzig/Halle Airport.
“This success story wouldn’t have been possible without the thousands of employees at DHL and MFAG. Their work and high level of commitment are what’s undergirding the positive development here at the airport. We want to particularly express our gratitude to them,” said Götz Ahmelmann, the CEO of MFAG, with real emphasis.
Overall, in excess of 17,200 people work at more than 220 companies and public authorities at MFAG’s two airport sites. Approximately 13,000 of them work at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
In a separate statement, DHL Group CEO Tobias Meyer, described Leipzig as “important engine for the economy of Central Germany.”
“We welcome the extension of the framework agreement, which gives us planning security, enables further investment in the site and provides long-term security for the jobs at the hub. Even though we are now paying significantly higher fees for the remaining term of the old agreement, the result is economically viable,” said Meyer.
“We would like to expressly thank the Saxon state government for its continued strong commitment to the site. At the same time, we hope that MFAG will successfully overcome its structural problems and that business beyond DHL will also develop positively. DHL’s development at the Schkeuditz site is a success story and we hope for further fruitful cooperation with all partners involved,” he added.
Michael Kretschmer, Prime Minister of Saxony, also lauded the agreement.
“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 centers for air freight. The Free State of 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 a logistics location. The extended partnership with DHL ensures that Saxony will play a leading role in the growing international trade,” he said.
Opened in 2008, the DHL air freight hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport is the largest of three global hubs in the DHL Express network with a unique significance for the Group’s worldwide logistics. The location has positive effects on the labor market and economic development in all neighboring districts. As a result, the region has developed into one of the world’s leading logistics locations.
Every night, 2,000 tons of freight in the form of 350,000 shipments are handled and flown to more than 50 destinations worldwide by an average of 75 aircraft per working day. The Group has so far invested around 780 million euros at the Leipzig site and created more than 7,000 jobs.
