dnata to expand its freight operations into Germany
dnata has signed arrangements with Wisskirchen's owner, Oliver Hellwig, to buy 100 percent of the company's shares
dnata announced plans to expand its European operations by acquiring Wisskirchen Handling Services of Germany (Wisskirchen). dnata's entry into the German market, subject to government clearance, will strengthen its position as a major global cargo services provider.
Wisskirchen is the only operator of the Cologne Bonn Cargo Centre, a 12,000-square-meter facility at Cologne/Bonn Airport ('CGN') that offers a full range of cargo services through a staff of 180 highly-trained professionals. Wisskirchen handles around 85,000 tonnes of freight every year, which includes general cargo, perishables, medicines, hazardous items, electronics, and fast moving consumer goods.
In terms of freight operations, CGN is Germany's third biggest airport, with great room for expansion. It's open 24 hours a day and has great road links because it's in the centre of Northwest Europe. The amount of cargo handled at CGN climbed by 14% year over year in 2021, setting a new yearly high for the airport.
Stewart Angus, dnata's Regional CEO for Europe said, "This is part of our continued broader investment in cargo infrastructure. Since 2014 we have invested in nine new cargo facilities in Europe. We look forward to playing our role in the next stage of development of Cologne/Bonn Airport as a major cargo hub and I would like to thank Oliver Hellwig for his professionalism during this process."
dnata has signed arrangements with Wisskirchen's owner, Oliver Hellwig, to buy 100 percent of the company's shares. The parties agreed not to reveal any information about the transaction. The purchase must be approved by Germany's Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Thilo Schmid, Chairman of the Executive Board of Cologne Bonn Airport said, "We are delighted to welcome dnata, a renowned global player in the field of airport services, to Cologne/Bonn. The commitment of dnata will help to further increase the efficiency in cargo handling in our Cargo Center and is proof of the great location quality of Cologne/Bonn Airport as well as its central importance as the most important logistics hub in NRW."
Dnata has made major investments in modern infrastructure to improve its freight service in recent years. This includes the launch of new, cutting-edge cargo facilities in Manchester, Karachi, and Lahore, Pakistan, as well as increased cargo capacity and infrastructure in Brussels, Sydney, and Toronto, Canada (Canada). dnata has stated that it will invest more than €200 million in its operations in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), where it operates one of the world's largest and most modern cargo facilities at Schiphol Airport. Furthermore, dnata will open the second phase of the dnata City East project at London Heathrow this spring (UK).
Dnata provides ground handling, cargo, catering, and retail services at over 120 airports in 19 countries as one of the world's largest aviation services suppliers.
