PARIS, Oct. 15, 2009—FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, today announced the expansion of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub, demonstrating the FedEx commitment to support the growth of the region and strengthening its ability to provide seamless service for customers who wish to access European and global markets.
A celebration to mark the tenth anniversary and expansion of the facility was attended by more than 300 guests, including Pierre Graff, chairman and CEO of Aéroports de Paris.
The expanded facility at Charles de Gaulle, which is now the largest FedEx hub outside the U.S., substantially increases the number of packages and documents the hub can handle and allows FedEx to continue to grow and enhance its comprehensive portfolio of products and services.
The FedEx and Aéroports de Paris joint investment of US $158 million in the new facilities will allow FedEx to continue to offer world-class services to its customers:
- Total floor space of 77,000 m2
- Increased sort area from 49,600 m2 to 72,000 m2
- Increased sort capacity from 54,000 to 61,500 documents and packages per hour
- Increased Freight/Dangerous Goods area from 1,400 m2 to 13,000 m2
- 300 flights per week
“This is an exciting moment for Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, the largest cargo airport in Europe and the 6th largest cargo airport worldwide,” said Graff. “The expansion of the FedEx hub is a major development for the airport—cementing its key strategic role and further enhancing its position as the principal sorting and distribution centre within the region.”
The expansion will further bolster efforts to develop Roissy-CDG Europe’s multimodal platform, driving the competitiveness and appeal of the region and France in general. As a founding member of the CAREX project, which contemplates the development of high-speed freight trains in Europe, FedEx has demonstrated its commitment to using rail as an alternative logistics solution to deliver European express cargo, reducing noise and carbon emissions.
“This is a very proud moment for FedEx as this world-class hub allows us to offer enhanced services to companies across Europe, linking them to the global marketplace,” said Robert W. Elliott, president, FedEx Express Europe, Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa. “The last ten years have seen impressive growth at the hub with double the volume of parcels and documents passing through the facility. The expansion of the FedEx hub reflects our belief in the continued growth of the Ile-de-France region and our commitment to playing a key role in supporting global business.”
“We would also like to celebrate the achievements of the 2,600 FedEx team members at the hub and across France for their determination to deliver exceptional customer experience,” said Alain Chaillé, vice president, Operations, FedEx Express Southern Europe. “Our diverse team at the hub, representing 50 nations, has delivered outstanding service over the last decade and we are confident that they will continue to meet demanding customer expectations for many years to come.”