DHL Express has opened a new multi-service site at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport that will handle time definite international (TDI) and day definite international (DDI) shipments and is the first facility of its kind in France.
The hub represents a €121m (US$140m) investment and will have direct access to the airport runways to handle international, European, national and local parcels, transported via air or road.
The new hub will begin operations this summer and will help DHL Express keep pace with growing customer demand. In France, the company has seen its activities grow by 15% over the past five years, handling more 45 million parcels in 2024 (up 1% compared to 2023).
Philippe Prétat, CEO of DHL Express France, stated, “France is a key country in our European network. We have invested heavily to strengthen our infrastructure: €425m [US$491m] since 2018. We are proud of this new construction, which we have designed to optimize parcel management, workplace comfort and environmental impact.
“This site uniquely covers our entire service offering, from international to local; urgent to less urgent. 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.”
Parcel processing and environmental boost
The new site will be able to handle 17,500 parcels per hour, five times more than the current capability. Currently, the airport site processes nearly 38,000 parcels per day, with peaks reaching 60,000 parcels during the holiday season.
The new facility also features state-of-the-art equipment to facilitate processing and improve workplace comfort by reducing operator handling and movement. The new installations offer an average time saving of 60 minutes in parcel processing.
Energy performance at the site has also been improved by 55% compared to the old site thanks to optimized land use and intelligent energy consumption management. The site is equipped with 78 charging stations for electric vehicles, energy-efficient lighting, fast-opening and closing dock doors to minimize heat loss in winter and cool air loss in summer, a white roof to reflect light and reduce building temperature in summer, and rainwater harvesting systems. It aligns with DHL Group’s goal of achieving zero emissions by 2050.
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