Cologne, Germany: Dubai-based dnata is planning to expand its European footprint with the acquisition of Germany-based Wisskirchen Handling Services, it said on Wednesday.
Wisskirchen is the exclusive operator of the Cologne Bonn Cargo Centre, a 12,000 sqm facility at Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN) providing a full range of cargo services via a team of some 180 highly-trained employees. Wisskirchen handles more than 85,000 tonnes of cargo annually, including general cargo, perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, electronics and fast moving consumer goods.
The deal is subject to government approval.
CGN is the third largest airport in Germany in terms of cargo operations with significant capacity for further growth. It operates 24 hours a day and is ideally located in the heart of Northwest Europe with excellent road connections. In 2021, cargo handled at CGN increased by 14 per cent year-on-year, marking a new annual record for the airport.
dnata has executed agreements with the owner of Wisskirchen, Oliver Hellwig, to acquire 100 per cent of the shares in the company. The parties agreed not to disclose details of the transaction. The acquisition is subject to approval by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in Germany.
“We are delighted to announce dnata’s first cargo investment in Germany. This is part of our continued broader investment in cargo infrastructure. Since 2014 we have invested in nine new cargo facilities in Europe. We look forward to playing our role in the next stage of development of Cologne/Bonn Airport as a major cargo hub and I would like to thank Oliver Hellwig for his professionalism during this process,” said Stewart Angus, dnata’s Regional CEO for Europe.
