DHL Express invests $78M to expand its Americas hub at Miami International Airport

DHL Express, the world’s leading provider of express shipping services, announced today that it has invested more than $78 million USD to renovate and expand its existing Hub facility at the Miami International Airport. The improvements further strengthen the company’s connections and service capabilities, with added flights to and from Europe, Asia Pacific, South America – including Chile, Mexico and cities in the U.S.

As the holiday season approaches, the investments come at an opportune time and on the heels of significant volume growth, specifically from international B2C and B2B e-commerce. DHL Express expects continued double digit shipment growth (YoY), throughout the Americas region during the upcoming peak holiday season. Looking at the last two years and trends as a result of the pandemic with the surge in online consumer purchasing, the Americas region countries experienced an average B2C shipment growth of 44% in 2020 (YoY), and 21% in 2021 (YTD Sept.).

“Our Miami Hub has always been a key gateway into South and Central America and the Caribbean, and with the new investments and flights, it’s fantastic to see us even more connected to the rest of the world,” said Mike Parra, CEO, DHL Express Americas . “This is all part of our continual drive to expand and improve our infrastructure, modernize and grow our air fleets and establish new routes. The overall results are improved flexibility, reliability and service for our customers’ ever-growing international shipping needs.”

The investment, which is part of a larger $360 million USD plan for the region to increase volume capacity in the DHL Express Americas network by nearly 30% by the end of 2022, includes state-of-the-art equipment for a fully automated package sort system. The new automation increased the facility’s sorting capacity per hour by almost double. With nearly twofold warehouse space – now 206,000 sq. ft.—and twice the load positions for conveyable packages, the space fully accommodates the increased volumes ahead of the peak season.

With its focus on safety and security, DHL also installed two state-of-the-art Automated Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) Machines (RTT™) at the Hub, which provides high quality 3D CT images and enables advanced automated explosives detection in a high speed in-line system at the first level of screening. “A key philosophy for DHL Express is to engineer safety into our facilities, and the expansion was designed to not only provide an environment where our employees can operate safely, but also where they can thrive,” said Parra.

DHL Express now operates an average of 193 weekly flights (arrivals and departures) at the Miami hub, through a combination of B737F, B757F, B767F, B777F, and A330F aircraft. Miami International Airport continues to offer DHL Express the benefits it needs to meet the growing demands of its international shipping customers, including in-house Customs brokers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel working on site to facilitate faster shipment clearance.

“Congratulations to DHL Express on completing this major expansion of its hub at MIA, the gateway to the Americas,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Its growth has helped to put our airport on track for its best year ever in cargo shipments, and is bringing an infusion of hundreds of new jobs into our local economy.”

“We are proud to be home to one of the largest hubs in DHL Express’s global network, and the primary base for their Latin America and Caribbean operations,” said Ralph Cutié, MIA Director and CEO. “Now that it has doubled its warehouse capacity at MIA, we look forward to seeing DHL Express have an even stronger presence in Miami-Dade County.”

All of these investments open up new job opportunities at the Hub. By the end of the year, employment at the MIA Hub will increase 70% (YoY) to 731 employees.

In September 2021, DHL Express launched a new facility in Hamilton, Ontario, where it invested $100 million CAD to build the new facility, four times the size of the original building, to meet significant increase in shipping volumes.