“Sister airports” offer alternative to cargo hubs

“Connect differently” is the motto for the very first joint presence of the Budapest, Düsseldorf and Hamburg airports at the “Air Cargo Europe” trade fair in Munich. These three “sister airports”, all holdings of AviAlliance, are presenting their common features and the characteristics of their logistics sites and infrastructure at the fair as alternatives to the classic cargo hubs.

The Budapest, Düsseldorf and Hamburg airports are presenting together for the first time at the Munich trade fair. The joint presentation is built on positive and successful cooperation in the past few years. The aim of the joint presence is to present the benefits of the three non-hub airports to the specialist public as a bundled package.

As an alternative to classic cargo hubs, the three airports complement one another, each bringing its own specialisations to the table. Goods flows can thus be concentrated in terms of handling, facilitating streamlined processes. This saves time when goods are being handled without using hubs. There are also possibilities for bundling the flow of goods within the three airports (triangular trade flows). The three airports benefit from state-of-the-art infrastructure to cover all expectations and requirements in the area of cargo/air freight.

“Air cargo does not have to be processed at major hubs. Non-hub airports also have benefits to offer,” comments Alexander Müller, Head of Cargo at Hamburg Airport. One of the advantages of Hamburg is the Hamburg Airport Cargo Center (HACC), which opened in 2016. With efficient operational processes, a direct connection to the apron, and a multi-user concept, HACC is ideally suited to effective, tailored logistics solutions. HACC’s infrastructural benefits include a dedicated border inspection post (Veterinary and Import Inspection Office), a customs inspection area and temperature-controlled zones especially for pharmaceutical products. “In cooperation with Düsseldorf and Budapest airports, our position is optimal,” says Müller. “We look forward to many shared conversations at the trade fair in Munich.”

René Droese, Director Property and Cargo at Budapest Airport, says: “Air cargo has an important role in the Hungarian and Central Eastern European economy, such as pharmaceuticals, telecommunication, automotive and IT production. Our goal is to develop our cargo facilities and to further expand our cargo network. This will enable our partners to increase their cargo business in Budapest and attract new airlines to our regional hub. We believe the importance and role of cargo airports like BUD, DUS and HAM will increase, and BUD Cargo will continue its dynamic development in the future (in 2016 the total cargo volume was 112,143 tons with 22.7% growth rate). Our co-operation is excellent with Hamburg and Düsseldorf airports, and we expect new opportunities with our common presence at the trade fair.”

Gerton Hulsman, CEO at Düsseldorf Airport Cargo, adds: “In case of Düsseldorf Airport and its catchment area (incl. Benelux) we have an enormous potential of high valued cargo like automotive, fashion, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, electronics etc. and it is absolutely a pity that a greater part of this cargo lands at airports whereby afterwards many kilometers need to be driven to arrive in this case in the backyard of Düsseldorf Airport. At Düsseldorf Airport we have a highly modern facility which is able to handle almost all sorts of cargo and we are proud to have a state of the art Pharma Handling Facility for which we received in March last year (IATA WCS Berlin) the CEIV certificate as a single handling operator. It is our intention to cooperate with Hamburg Airport and Budapest Airport and to find ways in offering our Freighter Aircraft Prospects the best possible mix of products to be airlifted.”

The joint trade fair presence of Budapest, Düsseldorf and Hamburg airports is at booth no. 254 in Hall B1 at Air Cargo Europe.