DHL Express to open $140 million cargo hub at Lyon airport

DHL Express is investing $140 million in a new cargo hub at France's Lyon airport that will increase its capacity by five times, to accommodate growth and expand its services in Europe.

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DHL Express' new cargo hub at France's Lyon airport (Photo: DHL)

DHL Express will move into a new $140 million facility at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport this summer. The facility will have five times the parcel handling capacity of its current building and is considered the first facility in France to handle both time-definite and day-definite international shipments.

DHL announced this week that the new hub will be three times larger than its previous facility at 261,500 square feet and will be able to sort up to 17,500 packages per hour, up from 3,500 previously. High-tech equipment will streamline the process and reduce staff time, saving an hour in parcel processing time. The facility will have 48 loading doors, up from 15 at the current location, and 79 van parking spaces. The expanded hub is DHL Express' second-largest investment in France, behind a $200 million expansion of its air hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport in 2021.

The transition to the new facility will be completed by mid-August, spokesman Dirk Heinrichs said in an email.
This is the first DHL parcel hub in France to be able to handle less urgent cross-border shipments with a definite delivery date to nine countries in Europe via air and road connections, in addition to express delivery services.

In addition to accommodating expected shipping growth, the new location will house the company’s regional sales and support teams. A total of 400 employees will work there, up from 360 at the current facility.

The current facility in Lyon handles 38,000 parcels per day, up to 60,000 during the peak holiday season.
Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which accounts for more than 20% of DHL Express traffic in France. The region is a convenient transit point for important trade routes across Europe. DHL Express has seen its parcel business in France grow by 15% over the past five years. Last year, it handled more than 45 million parcels, up 1% from 2023. In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, volumes increased by more than 20%, according to the company.

"This site uniquely covers our entire service offering, from international to local, urgent to less urgent," Philippe Prétat, CEO of DHL Express France, said in a press release. "It will enable us to continue providing excellent service to our customers in the years to come, with the possibility of expanding in future to support the increase in global flows."

The facility will be 55% more energy efficient than the previous facility. According to DHL, it is equipped with 78 charging stations for electric vehicles, energy-efficient lighting, quick-opening loading doors to minimize heat loss in winter and cool air in summer, a reflective white roof and a rainwater collection system.

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