Air Cargo Hubs.

German air cargo hubs are leading in Europe. Alongside the international hub in Frankfurt, the express cargo hubs in Leipzig/Halle and Cologne/Bonn are among the top. To maintain this position, air cargo requires transshipment hubs where operations are possible both day and night.

German Air Cargo Hubs Lead in Europe

In the European comparison, German air cargo hubs rank at the top. In 2023, Frankfurt remained the largest cargo airport in Europe. The express cargo hubs Leipzig/Halle and Cologne/Bonn are also among the European leaders. After the air cargo boom during the COVID-19 years, the volume of goods handled at German airports has now stabilized at pre-crisis levels.

Air cargo handling in Germany is concentrated at five main airports, each serving a unique role: Frankfurt, Leipzig/Halle, Cologne/Bonn, Munich, and Hahn account for approximately 97 percent of Germany’s total air cargo volume. Frankfurt is the largest, handling 38 percent of the total air cargo volume. At the express cargo hubs Leipzig/Halle and Cologne/Bonn, around 30 percent and 20 percent of goods, respectively, are handled. Additionally, Munich and Hahn airports account for another 6 percent and 4 percent of Germany’s total air cargo volume.

Germany’s largest cargo airport, Frankfurt, handles the majority of air cargo between Germany and North/South America, as well as Asia and Africa. A significant share of air cargo from and to the Middle East also passes through Frankfurt. However, European cargo is less important for Frankfurt compared to other airports.

In contrast, the express cargo hub Leipzig handles more than half of the air cargo transported between European countries and Germany, as well as a quarter of the cargo to and from the Middle East. Cologne/Bonn is another key hub for European air cargo transport, handling around one-third of such goods. Notably, it also handles 20 percent of the cargo volume to and from North America.

Air Cargo Needs Flexible Operating Hours

Only if German companies are connected to air traffic that crosses time zones via night flights can they remain competitive in global trade. Globalized production conditions require what is known as the “night jump,” or overnight transport. In short: cargo needs the night.

The night jump allows cargo customers to send their goods at the end of a production day and have them delivered the next morning (USA) or the morning after (Asia). Short delivery times are also crucial for supplying spare parts and production materials. Therefore, the German economy needs flexible and internationally competitive operating hours at its airports.

Leipzig/Halle and Cologne/Bonn have earned their strong position as central European and even global express cargo hubs thanks to their unrestricted operating hours. Most goods arrive late in the evening from around the world, are sorted, and leave the airports just a few hours later either by road to a destination in Germany or via connecting flights to many other countries.

At the international hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, air cargo is also handled during the night – in the so-called marginal hours before and after the nightly curfew.