DHL Move???

[DoctorA300]

Just heard this on german radio, and my german is not the best. As far as I could make out, DHL is to invest 300 million Euro in Lepzig airport, something to do with there being no ops restrictions in Leipzig. Is this true, does this mean the end of DHL in CGN??
Brgds
Doc

[beaucaire]

Most likely not the end neither for Cologne neither Brussels but all the future investments and growth-operations will be done in Leipzig.The east german city will invest in a new 3600 meter runway,and DHL 300 M Euros to create about 7000 jobs.
Brussels has lost DHL due to heavy night-flight restrictions whereas Leipzig offers 24/24- 7/7 operation without any restrictions. Vatry in France never had a chance,since Leipzig offers first class rail and highway infrastructure.
Cologn and Brussels will remain regional hubs.

[neil armstrong]

I wouldnt be surprised if CGN or BRU would disappear!
And if BRU goes on strike again i think i know which one it will be!

Neil

[747FOCAL]

Macquarie wins race to control Brussels airport
Financial Times 11/09/04
author: Kevin Done
(c) 2004 The Financial Times Limited. All rights reserved




Macquarie Airports, the Australian stock exchange listed international airport fund, is acquiring a controlling stake in Brussels Zaventem airport in a deal valued at €735m (US$950m).

It defeated rival bids from several groups including Vinci and Ferrovial, the French and Spanish construction and infrastructure groups, and Vienna and Copenhagen airports.

Macquarie Airports has become the world's second-largest private owner and manager of airports after BAA, the UK airports group, and will have significant stakes in the airports of Sydney, Rome and Brussels as well as investments in Birmingham and Bristol airports in the UK.

The Macquarie Airports-led consortium is taking a 70 per cent stake in Brussels International Airport company (BIAC) in what is believed to be the world's biggest airport privatisation deal completed this year.

The Belgian state, which currently holds a 63.56 per cent stake in BIAC, is retaining a strategic 30 per cent holding alongside the Macquarie interests.

The remaining Belgian shareholders, which are selling out their 36.44 per cent holding, comprise Belgian banks, insurance and investment groups including P&V Verzekeringen, Group Brussels Lambert, KBC Bank, Dexia Bank, FB-Verzekeringen, Suez Tractebel and Ackermans & van Haaren.

Brussels airport handled 15m passengers last year and is ranked 19th in Europe in terms of passenger traffic, and fifth for cargo. In total, the Macquarie Group airports, including Brussels, will handle about 85m passengers a year.

The Macquarie Airports-led consortium includes two other unlisted Macquarie Group managed infrastructure funds as well as Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Airports holds a 74.3 per cent interest in the winning consortium and will have a 52 per cent stake in Brussels airport.

Macquarie Airports said it would be financing the acquisition through a A$400m (US$303m) private equity placement and a A$525m issue of hybrid convertible securities.

The deal is subject to gaining regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The BIAC shareholders were advised by ING of the Netherlands.

[picobello]

Don't forget that DHL europe is part of Deutshe Post.... so between CGN or BRU, I think the second one will desepear.....:( in a short futur. Lot's of EAT pilots are looking for another job!

The futur in Belgium look very very dark:uhoh:

[Daysleeper]

Brussels airport handled 15m passengers last year and is ranked 19th in Europe in terms of passenger traffic, and fifth for cargo

Guess it will be going a LONG way down the cargo league tables in a 2008

[Flip Flop Flyer]

Not to mention the 1000s of pax flights by DHL staff going to/from BRU every year. Couple that with a possible departure from Charleroi by Ryanair and the future for Belgian aviation does indeed look rather grim.

I would personally be very surprised if both BRU and CGN were to survive as regional hubs. DPWN has published ideas to concentrate most traffic at a 'superhub', which will be LEJ, and increasingly by-pass the subhubs and go direct to destination(s). My crystal ball has CPH, BGY and VIT as the first victims of this strategy, plus either CGN or BRU. CGN will need to be served if there is no change to the LH partnership. However, if LH moves their MD-11 routes from CGN to LEJ, then BRU will probably remain. It stands to reason that a regional hub is required in the Amsterdam/Ruhr/Paris/Brussels square as there is so much business there. It is not possible to just serve one of those (AMS:CGN:BRU:CDG) with air and truck from there to the others; distance is too long. BRU is ideall placed for trucking to both AMS and CGN; CDG could be served by air diretly from LEJ. With that in mind, and keeping in mind that LH is not totally dismissive of selling at least a part of loss making LH Cargo, having DPWN buying a share of LHC and force a move of MD-11 activity to LEJ could spell the end for CGN and keep DHL/EAT in BRU.

Where does all this leave EMA? Well, ain't UPS looking for facitlities in the UK? Recent events showed that EMA is not able to fulfill it's role as a tactical replacement for BRU. Having a hub in the UK of the present size does not fit with the DPWN strategy. I would venture the proposition that EMA will scale down dramatically, basically only serving UK destinations and BRU/LEJ on the continent.

Ich Bin Ein Leipziger :E

[747FOCAL]

I wouldn't count DHL out of Brussels just yet. :E

[Daysleeper]

Recent events showed that EMA is not able to fulfill it's role as a tactical replacement for BRU

From where I'm sat I'd disagree. Without EMA the network would have ground to a complete halt the other week.
You cant take a facility staffed and resourced for X amount of movements a night and at 2 hours notice double the number of movements and expect anything but chaos. Only thanks to the truely superhuman effort of the EMA base loading teams, sort shed guys, ops, flightwatch etc did just the network hold together in some shape.
Ok we may lose the trans-atlantic loads to Leipzig, and you cannot expect EMA to provide 100% replacement for the new hub but as the business continues to grow neither can I see us abandoning the EMA facility.



Besides which we would be better burning it to the ground than letting UPS have it :D

[IB4138]

They are trying to run DHL akin to Danzas. Someone should realize that courier business is different to air freight.

DHL staff in Malaga, do not know what is going on, or whether they will have jobs at he end of each month.