DHL Express, the business unit of the German DHL Group that specialises in urgent international shipments, has begun construction of the platform for its new aircraft maintenance hangar at Vitoria-Gasteiz Airport (Álava) after obtaining planning permission. This marks the start of a key phase in the development of a project with a planned investment of 40 million euros.

According to the company’s plans, construction of the hangar building will begin once the current phase is completed, likely to be in the second half of this year. The aim is for the new facility to be complete and fully operational by mid-2027. It is estimated that its start-up will create around 50 jobs.

Second most important in Europe
DHL Express’s new fleet maintenance centre strengthens the company’s commitment to Vitoria. In fact, it will be the company’s second most important facility in Europe, after Leipzig (Germany). This investment comes just a few months after celebrating 30 years of presence in the region, where it has maintained steady investment, the creation of skilled jobs and a contribution to its economic development.

DHL Express’s project highlights Spain’s importance in its global network and makes Vitoria-Gasteiz Airport an international connectivity hub. Since it was launched in 1995, this hub has grown from having 40 specialists and five air routes to operating more than 24 daily air movements and over 60 land movements, with a workforce of more than 300 professionals.

Global efficiency
At present, its facilities at the airport, also known as Foronda, are equipped to process up to 18,000 shipments per hour thanks to its automated system. The hub now connects Vitoria with key destinations such as Leipzig, Cologne (Germany), Brussels (Belgium), East Midlands (England), Milan (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal), Porto (Portugal), Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Seville and Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña).

Jesús Sánchez, DHL Express Europe’s Senior Vice President of hubs, explains that the new centre will “significantly optimise our maintenance times, and it will also increase fleet availability and improve the overall efficiency of our network.” As one of the key maintenance facilities in Europe, it will support the fleets operated by several DHL airlines throughout the region. European Air Transport Leipzig GmbH (EAT), our Germany-based airline and the company responsible for MRO (maintenance, repair and operations), is leading the project in collaboration with DHL Express Spain and will operate the new facility.

Employment generation
For Markus Otto, the company’s Senior Vice President of Aviation in Europe, the new hangar “represents a decisive step in strengthening the resilience and long-term performance of our regional fleet operations. By adding dedicated maintenance capacity in Vitoria, we gain the flexibility we need to manage our aircraft fleet, respond more quickly to operational demands and ensure the technical reliability our customers expect.”

Finally, Tomás Holgado,  Vice President of hubs & gateways at DHL Express Spain, notes that the new centre, “Which will provide maintenance services for the company’s European fleet, will create around 50 local jobs, help foster highly skilled national talent in a field as highly regarded as aviation, and further strengthen Foronda Airport’s strategic role within the European landscape”.

^{Photo: DHL Express}