DHL Express opened its new international hub at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport on Tuesday. The facility was completed in just under two years with an investment of 80 million euros and is designed to meet the growth of international express shipping volumes, according to the company. Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Europe:
“The new hub in Barcelona is a strategic investment for future growth that strengthens our role in global trade and supports DHL Group's Strategy 2030: Accelerating sustainable growth. As a strategic hub within our European network, it is designed to adapt to an increasingly complex and dynamic global landscape.”
Hub for the whole of Catalonia
The hub has 22 loading and nine unloading bays for air freight containers as well as 24 truck ramps, from which 120 vans operate the delivery routes and daily pickups.
The facility was built on a 29,000 square meter site and features 10,000 square meters of storage space and 3,000 square meters of office space. It will connect international flight routes within Europe, the Americas and North Africa. The hub is intended to serve the entire Catalan region, including the four provinces of Barcelona, Lleida, Girona
and Tarragona, as well as the Balearic Islands and Andorra, according to the company.
The aim is to further promote the international competitiveness of the more than 20,000 companies with which DHL Express collaborates in Spain, of which more than 20 percent are based in Catalonia. Miguel Borrás, Managing Director of DHL Express Spain:
“The inauguration of these facilities makes us proud and reflects our growth, our future vision and our strong commitment to excellent service, innovation and sustainability. The new hub is an investment in our present, but above all in our future and in the great Catalan business network that we have been supporting for years in its international expansion.”
Handling of over 20,000 shipments per hour
The DHL Express facilities in El Prat could process more than 20,000 shipments per hour in total, representing a sevenfold increase in capacity compared with the previous operation. They also include customs control ensuring individual monitoring of each package, and are equipped with state-of-the-art X-ray solutions to ensure maximum safety in air traffic, according to the company.
37 charging stations and on-site photovoltaic system
In addition, the hub has a photovoltaic system for self-consumption and 37
charging stations for delivery vans and aircraft assistance devices have already been installed. The infrastructure is reportedly pre-installed for an expansion to 100 percent capacity, so that at least two-thirds of the site's vehicles could be operated with zero emissions.
Other measures included a graywater recovery system, instruments to monitor and control the hub's daily energy consumption, and the use of intelligent LED lighting with automatic programming and presence detectors.
DHL Express operates ten flights daily from its own air network at Barcelona Airport and additionally uses six intercontinental flight connections. In addition, it plans to expand operations by integrating two new network flights and by improving intercontinental connectivity through commercial flights.
30 percent growth through e-commerce
The courier and parcel service provider was able to achieve a 30 percent growth in Barcelona within five years due to the rise in international e-commerce. The new hub is an important facility for import and export activities and strengthens Barcelona's importance for the international transport of DHL Express shipments, says Jesús Sánchez, Senior Vice President HUBs at DHL Express Europe:
“Spain plays a strategic role in DHL Express's global network thanks to its advanced logistics infrastructure and
its geographic location, which serves as an unparalleled bridge between Europe, Africa and, in particular, Latin America, and it is a very attractive market for Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises, where we handle up to 150 weekly flights from our country. Spain is not only a country where DHL Express operates, but also serves as a strategic node for innovation, talent development, sustainability and international expansion, and thus plays a key role in our global network.”
Investments planned in Girona and Vitoria
DHL Spain plans to make further investments in Catalonia, including the planned opening this year of a new facility in Girona. Additionally, an investment of over 40 million euros in the Basque Country in Vitoria is planned to build DHL Express's second-largest aircraft maintenance hangar in Europe, according to the express service provider. It is expected to be put into operation in 2027.
Currently DHL Express Spain operates three hubs in Barcelona, Madrid and Vitoria. In addition there are six gateways for domestic connections in Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia and the Canary Islands. The express service provider operates 16 own aircraft, with which it conducts more than 40
