DHL Express will soon open a new facility to handle its Time Definite International (TDI) and Day Definite International (DDI) shipments at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.
The hub has direct access to the airport runways and will commence operations this summer, handling international, European, national, and local parcels, transported via air or road.
The new 50,000 sq m facility cost €121m and is the company’s second largest investment in the country after its air hub at Paris CDG.
”The choice of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region for such a site is strategic for the company,” the company said in a press release. ”With 20% of volumes transported in France, it ranks second among the most important French regions for the company, following Île-de-France.”
DHL Express said its activities in France had grown by 15% over the past five years, with volumes growing 1% year on year in 2024 to 45m parcels. Meanwhile, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, DHL Express experienced a 20% increase in activities in 2024 compared to 2019.
Philippe Prétat, chief executive of DHL Express France, said: “France is a key country in our European network. We have invested heavily to strengthen our infrastructure: €425m since 2018. We are proud of this new construction, which we have designed to optimise parcel management, workplace comfort, and environmental impact.
The maximum processing capacity of the site will be 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 company added that the airport is situated at the crossroads of major trade routes in Europe, particularly from the south (Italy, Spain, Portugal), the north (United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands), and central Europe (Switzerland, Austria, Germany).
