Frankfurt Airport, once Europe’s leading air cargo hub, lost its top ranking to Istanbul Airport last year, according to the German Aviation Association (BDL), which cited rising ground costs and excessive bureaucracy as key reasons behind the decline.
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The association said global air cargo volume rose 6% in 2024, but Frankfurt’s growth was limited to just 1.2%.
In contrast, Istanbul Airport posted a 39.6% increase in cargo transport, pushing it ahead of Frankfurt for the first time.
The BDL warned that cargo traffic is shifting toward neighboring countries offering lower operating costs and faster handling processes, making it harder for German hubs such as Frankfurt and Cologne/Bonn to keep up.
In response, the association announced a five-point action plan and called on the federal government to take urgent measures to strengthen Germany’s position as an air transport hub.
The proposals include reducing state-imposed ground costs, speeding up administrative procedures through digital implementation of EU aviation safety standards, allowing more flexible working hours at air cargo centers, enforcing EU customs rules uniformly across the bloc, and simplifying the collection of import VAT.
“Air transport is growing faster globally than at German hubs,†the statement said, projecting Germany’s cargo growth for 2025 to remain at just 1.2%.
The association said structural inefficiencies and regulatory delays were eroding Germany’s competitiveness, and called for immediate reforms to prevent further market loss to rival airports.
German air cargo airlines and airports are making advance investments worth billions:
Lufthansa Cargo is currently modernizing the "Lufthansa Cargo Center" in Frankfurt from the ground up while operations are ongoing, for around 600 million euros.
Around 500 million euros are being invested in the expansion of Leipzig/Halle Airport.
With investments of over 100 million euros, the express freight service provider DHL will have already completed a significant expansion of its site at Munich Airport in 2024.
Fraport, the operating company of Frankfurt Airport, is preparing for an increase in annual air cargo volume of around 50 percent by 2040 with its "CargoHub Master Plan."
For these investments to pay off in the long term, the industry depends on the right framework conditions, BDL concluded. ■