DHL Express has begun construction on a $292 million aircraft maintenance facility and expanded parking apron at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to improve efficiency at its primary U.S. air cargo hub, the company announced Tuesday.
The 305,000-square-foot facility will enable the express carrier to more quickly handle repairs, resulting in reduced aircraft downtime and improved service reliability for parcel customers. The larger aircraft apron will allow DHL to accommodate more aircraft at one time, increasing the ability to handle larger volumes of shipments.
Inflation has added $100 million to the project’s estimated cost since DHL unveiled plans last summer. DHL Express said the cost of local labor and materials has risen substantially in the past 15 months.
The aviation maintenance hangar, with room to house two large Boeing 777 freighter aircraft or four 767s side by side will be built on an additional 50 acres DHL is leasing from the airport. The expansion project will bring line maintenance activities out of the weather and accommodate work for DHL’s fleet of Boeing 737, 767 and 777 cargo jets.
The new facility “translates into faster turnaround times, making the fleet more efficient to handle a growing volume of shipments,” said Rob Hyslop, executive vice president for global aviation, in a news release.
The maintenance center will provide repairs to any carrier that provides services for the DHL network.
The new maintenance center will create 300 full time jobs. DHL and Kalitta Air, a longtime contract carrier, will oversee aircraft maintenance under a recently developed joint venture. Kalitta has a division that provides aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services to global customers
The new parking apron will have spots for eight aircraft and three positions for outdoor maintenance work. The hangar will have additional space for storage of aircraft components. Other features include an area for staging ground handling equipment, underground foam containment, hazardous material storage and offices.
The new facility is expected to be fully operational by January 2026. DHL received a $1 million development grant from the state of Kentucky to support the project.
DHL’s superhub at CVG is the main point for connecting DHL’s express network to the rest of the world, with 117 daily flights conducted by a fleet of 64 aircraft. Partner airlines and joint venture Polar Air also rely on the facility. The superhub currently operates on 194 acres, with 67 aircraft parking gates and 6.4 million square feet of ramp area. It annually processes about 50 million international shipments for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Latin America.
The parcel integrator has invested more than $250 million in hub upgrades since 2015, including aircraft handling equipment, autosort systems and remodeled interior sections.
DHL’s other superhubs are in Hong Kong and Cologne, Germany.
In July, DHL Express announced plans to invest more than $43.4 million to develop a second European aircraft maintenance hangar at Vitoria Airport in Spain.
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