Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding signs cooperation agreement with the Henan Province Airport Group
Source:transportweekly 2014-5-13 10:01:00
A strategic airport cooperation arrangement will link the Henan Province Airport Group and Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding in future. This is designed to enable the partners to develop air freight flights together and strengthen their airports as central hubs for the distribution of flows of goods in China and Europe. The agreement was signed in the trade fair city on 8 May in the presence of the Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung.
"The interest on the part of the Chinese confirms that the expansion and investments in the airport and logistics facilities at Leipzig/Halle have paid off. We’re also expecting greater commitment from Asian investors operating in both the industry and commerce sectors,” the mayor said during the signing ceremony.
The central Chinese government in Beijing is currently increasing its efforts to move industries into new inner Chinese development zones. But this will only take place if the relevant global logistics chains and the associated services are available. Chinese leaders from both the worlds of politics and business are looking for well-located sites in Europe within this project, which will be able to handle and distribute their goods in a short amount of time and with high-quality service.
“We’ve found a highly promising partner to network our ambitious region with the European continent in the shape of Leipzig/Halle, the fifth largest cargo airport in Europe. We selected Leipzig/Halle, because we value the airport’s central location, its outstanding intermodal transport links and its unrestricted operating times. Based on these factors, we’re expecting our cooperation arrangement to be constructive and successful,” said An Huiyuan, Chairman of the Henan Province Airport Group.
The managers in Zhengzhou have classified Leipzig/Halle Airport with its 24-hour operating permit for air freight shipments as an ideal site for transporting goods between Europe and China. In contrast to other airports with restricted operating times, airlines can avoid additional downtimes within the global transport chain at Leipzig/Halle.
"We’ve now managed to expand our global cooperation network to four Asian and two American partner airports as a result of this agreement with Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport. Consequently, we’ll be able to work even more intensively on developing new air freight services and expanding existing ones,” said Markus Kopp, CEO at Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, with great confidence. “The benefits of being able to handle air freight round the clock will divert additional flows of goods through Leipzig/Halle. This will not only safeguard existing jobs at the airport and in the surrounding area, but also create new ones,” Markus Kopp added.