DHL Express Inaugurates New International Barcelona Hub
- Joe Breitfeller
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
DHL Express has announced the inauguration of their new international hub at Barcelona-El Prat Airport. The new €80 million hub has been designed to accommodate the significant growth in the volume of international express transport parcels.
On Tuesday (September 16, 2025), DHL Express announced the inauguration of their new international hub at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. Completed in less than two years with an investment of €80 million, the hub has been designed to accommodate the significant growth in the volume of international DHL Express parcels. Since 1995, DHL has operated their own aircraft at Barcelona Airport, supporting local exports and providing high-quality service that has driven sustained growth. The new hub will serve as an essential facility for both import and export operations.
In Tuesday’s announcement, DHL Express Europe’s CEO, Mike Parra, said,
“The new Barcelona hub is a strategic investment built for future growth, reinforcing our role in global trade and supporting DHL Group's Strategy 2030: Accelerate Sustainable Growth. Designed as a strategic hub within our European network, it is equipped to adapt to an increasingly complex and dynamic global landscape.”
Also commenting on the inauguration of the new Barcelona hub, DHL Express Spain’s Managing Director, Miguel Borrás, said,
“The inauguration of these facilities is a source of pride and a reflection of our growth, our vision for the future, and our strong commitment to excellence in service, innovation, and sustainability. The new hub is an investment in our present, but above all, in our future and that of the vast Catalan business network that we have supported for years in its international expansion.”
DHL Hub Europe’s SVP – HUBs, Jesús Sánchez, added,
“Spain plays a strategic role in the DHL Express global network thanks to its advanced logistics infrastructure and its geographical location, which serves as an unrivaled bridge between Europe, Africa, and especially Latin America-a very attractive market for Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises, where we manage up to 150 weekly flights from our country. Spain is not only a country in which DHL Express operates; it also serves as a strategic hub for innovation, talent development, sustainability and international expansion, and thereby plays a key role in our global network.”
With 10,000 square meters of warehouse space and 3,000 square meters of offices, the new DHL Express hub has been designed to connect international air routes within Europe, America, and North Africa. The facility’s objective is to continue promoting the international competitiveness of over 20,000 companies DHL Express works with in Spain, more than 20 percent of which are located in Catalonia. This new hub will serve the entire Catalan territory, including Barcelona, Lleida, Girona, and Tarragona, as well as the Balearic Islands and Andorra.
The new DHL Express facility in Barcelona can process over 20,000 pieces per hour, a sevenfold increase in capacity compared to the previous operation. The facility also includes customs control, ensuring individual monitoring of each package, and is equipped with state-of-the-art x-ray solutions to provide maximum security. The hub features 22 loading positions and 9 unloading positions for air containers, as well as 24 docks for trucks from which 120 vans operate to manage both delivery routes and daily collections.
DHL Express operates 10 daily flights from their own dedicated aviation network at Barcelona Airport, with additional capacity provided by six additional intercontinental commercial flights. The company also plans to expand its operations by incorporating two new network flights and enhancing intercontinental connectivity through commercial flights. The new Barcelona hub joins existing hubs in Madrid and Vittoria, as well as national gateways in Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia, and the Canary Islands. DHL Express operates 16 of their own aircraft in Spain, conducting over 40 daily flights across 26 routes.
Source: DHL Express
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