DHL to make Brussels Airport key hub in new pharma network

DHL has announced major plans to expand its pharmaceutical transport network, with Brussels Airport set to play a central role.

The logistics firm plans to invest €2 billion worldwide in pharmaceutical logistics over the coming years. Medicines and other healthcare products often need strict temperature control. If they are not kept at the right temperature, they may have to be destroyed.

To improve quality and reliability, DHL will increasingly use its own specially adapted cargo aircraft rather than commercial airlines. This will allow the company to control the entire journey, including timing and temperature, ensuring safer delivery.

The first dedicated aircraft began operating a daily service on Thursday between Brussels and Cincinnati in the United States. The plane arrives in Brussels in the evening and departs again later the same evening. DHL confirmed these are not night flights.

The company said the new route creates a direct link between two major centres in the global healthcare industry. More routes are expected in the coming years, with Brussels positioned as the European hub of the network, known as DHL Health Logistics.

Brussels Airport is already DHL’s fourth-largest cargo hub worldwide.

^{DHL at Brussels Airport © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT}