DHL invests in new hub at Brussels Airport
DHL has announced plans to invest €114 million in a new sorting centre and office complex at Brussels Airport. The investment will increase the company's capacity threefold, from 12,000 to 39,500 shipments an hour.
According to the company, the expansion will provide 200 new jobs by 2020, added to its existing workforce of 1,000. DHL's current hub dates from 1985. Brussels Airport was the centre of DHL's network in Europe until 2008, when it moved to Leipzig in Germany following controversy over the banning of night flights to prevent noise nuisance.
The decision cost 1,300 jobs, but Brussels remained an important link in DHL's chain, with 10% growth over the last five years; the new investment will strengthen that position. We have decided to invest in a new hub because of our logistics needs, as well as the availability in this area of qualified and competent employees, the company said in a statement.
The new hub will serve 18 destinations in Europe as well as destinations in the US, China and Africa. DHL will also connect a further 64 destinations by road. The new sorting centre, taking up 31,500 square metres, will use the latest sorting technology, insulation, solar panels, environmentally friendly lighting and gas-powered vehicles. That means 768 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, the company said.