DHL Express inaugurates its new international hub at Barcelona - El Prat Airport

DHL Express has been operating its own aircraft at Barcelona Airport since 1995, actively supporting local exports and providing high-quality service that has driven sustained growth. The new hub serves as an essential facility for both import and export operations, reinforcing Barcelona's significance in the international transport of DHL Express parcels.

Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Europe, said: "The new Barcelona hub is a strategic investment built for future growth, reinforcing our role in global trade and supporting DHL Group's Strategy 2030: Accelerate Sustainable Growth. Designed as a strategic hub within our European network, it is equipped to adapt to an increasingly complex and dynamic global landscape."

DHL Express saw its activity in Barcelona grow by 30% in just five years, driven mainly by the rise of international e-commerce. This strong growth was followed by two years of stabilization amid a global slowdown in both international trade and online shopping. The new facility is designed to respond to this market evolution with a long-term vision: it is built to accommodate projected growth over the next 20 years, adapting to changes in shipment flows without disrupting operations. Additionally, it incorporates solutions that minimize environmental impact, aligning with the Group's sustainability goals.

Built on a plot of 29,000 m², with 10,000 m² of warehouse space and 3,000 m² of offices, the new hub is designed to connect international air routes within Europe, America, and North Africa. Its objective is to continue promoting the international competitiveness of the more than 20,000 companies with which DHL Express works in Spain, over 20% of which are located in Catalonia. This hub will serve the entire Catalan territory-including the four provinces: Barcelona, Lleida, Girona, and Tarragona-as well as the Balearic Islands and Andorra.

Miguel Borrás, Managing Director of DHL Express Spain said "The inauguration of these facilities is a source of pride and a reflection of our growth, our vision for the future, and our strong commitment to excellence in service, innovation, and sustainability. The new hub is an investment in our present, but above all, in our future and that of the vast Catalan business network that we have supported for years in its international expansion."

The new Barcelona hub is a benchmark in safety and sustainability. The DHL Express facilities in El Prat can process more than 20,000 pieces per hour, representing a sevenfold increase in capacity compared to 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 provide maximum security in air transport. The hub features 22 loading positions and 9 unloading positions for air containers, as well as 24 docks for trucks from which 120 vans operate to manage both delivery routes and daily collections.

Every day, DHL Express operates 10 flights from its own dedicated aviation network at Barcelona Airport and utilizes an additional 6 intercontinental commercial flight connections. The company also plans to expand its operations by incorporating two new network flights and enhancing intercontinental connectivity through commercial flights.

"Spain plays a strategic role in the DHL Express global network thanks to its advanced logistics infrastructure and its geographical location, which serves as an unrivaled bridge between Europe, Africa, and especially Latin America-a very attractive market for Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises, where we manage up to 150 weekly flights from our country. Spain is not only a country in which DHL Express operates; it also serves as a strategic hub for innovation, talent development, sustainability and international expansion, and thereby plays a key role in our global network," concludes Jesús Sánchez, Senior Vice president HUBs at DHL Express Europe.

Currently, DHL Express Spain has three hubs located in Barcelona, Madrid, and Vitoria, which operate as connections with the company's global network, including international shipments that are transiting Spain. In addition to these, there are six gateways for national connections in Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia, and the Canary Islands. DHL Express operates 16 of its own aircraft, conducting more than 40 flights per day and covering 26 routes.

The new DHL Express Hub in El Prat marks a milestone in operational efficiency and is built with environmental sustainability as a priority. The new facilities provide employees with a modern, safe, and comfortable environment. Additionally, the launch of the hub has resulted in an increase of more than 10% in qualified jobs at the site. The new warehouse has been designed to align with DHL Group's ambitious goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, with an intermediate target of reducing its CO? footprint to below 29 million tonnes by 2030. By that same year, DHL aims for 30% of its aviation fuel to be sustainable (SAF). Currently, DHL Group already has the highest percentage of SAF usage in the industry. 

The DHL Express International Hub in El Prat features a photovoltaic energy installation for self-consumption, and 37 electric chargers for delivery vans and aircraft assistance equipment have already been installed. The infrastructure is pre-installed to expand to 100% capacity, ensuring that at least two thirds of the site's vehicles are operating GHG emission-free. Additional measures include a greywater recovery system, tools for controlling and managing the hub's daily energy consumption, and the use of intelligent LED lighting with automatic programming and presence sensors.

The inauguration of the new international hub at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport is a milestone that precedes other important investments that DHL Spain is undertaking in Catalonia, including the opening of a new operational facility in Girona planned for this year. The company has also planned an investment of more than EUR 40 million in the Basque Country, specifically in Vitoria, to create what will be the second-largest DHL Express aircraft maintenance hangar in Europe (after Leipzig), expected to be operational in 2027. This represents a new step in the ongoing commitment that the German company has made to Spain since it began operations in the country in 1979.