Increased Size and Latest Automation System Applied... DHL Incheon Terminal's Processing Volume Increased 3.5 Times

Korea Facility Expansion with Record Investment of 175 Billion KRW
Total Floor Area Tripled... Import Delivery Time Reduced by 30 Minutes
"Core Infrastructure... Will Contribute to Asia-Pacific Trade Activation"

International express delivery company DHL has started operating a new cargo terminal (gateway) at Incheon Airport that is more than three times larger than the previous one. The expanded facility, along with automated systems, significantly increases cargo handling capacity.

DHL Express Korea announced on the 5th that it has completed the expansion of the Incheon gateway. The company invested 175 billion KRW for this project, marking the largest facility expansion investment it has made in Korea to date. With this investment, the Incheon gateway now boasts the largest terminal in the Asia-Pacific region.

DHL Incheon Cargo Terminal after expansion construction

The company explained, "With the growth of Korea's overseas trade, the volume of international express exports and imports with nearby Asia-Pacific countries such as Singapore, Japan, China, Australia, and Taiwan has steadily increased. Considering the rising demand for air cargo, we proceeded with the facility expansion investment."

After the construction, the total floor area of the Incheon gateway increased to 59,248㎡, about three times larger than before. The cargo handling volume will increase more than 3.5 times, from 8,100 items per hour to 28,400 items per hour. The number of automatic X-ray machines increased from 9 to 19, and the length of conveyor belts expanded from 1.0 km to 5.5 km. The company expects this facility to become a key logistics hub connecting DHL hubs and gateways worldwide, operating seven dedicated aircraft and 40 commercial flights daily.

The cargo handling process has also been advanced. An automated sorting and processing system and the latest logistics technologies have been applied. Automatic sorting equipment for documents and small parcels has been introduced, enabling the automatic sorting of over 10,000 items per hour. By automatically sorting export documents and small parcels at the Incheon gateway, which were previously manually sorted at service centers, processing time can be reduced by more than 30 minutes compared to before.

Han Byung-gu, CEO of DHL Korea

For the first time among Incheon Airport cargo terminals, a 1 MW-class solar power generation facility was installed on the entire rooftop of the building. It can supply 30% of the consumed electricity. The carbon emission reduction effect is equivalent to 650 tons. Han Byung-gu, CEO of DHL Express, said, "This is a gateway connecting Korea to the world and a strategic facility linking the Asia-Pacific region to the world. Since its first opening in 2009, the volume of export and import processing has increased by more than 90%. Through this expansion of the Incheon gateway, we have acquired the capability to smoothly handle the rapidly increasing cargo volume and prepare for the expected growth in international express demand over the next 10 years."

Sean Wall, Vice President of Asia-Pacific Network and Air Operations at DHL Express, said, "In recent years, Korea's processing volume has been steadily increasing, and we expect this demand to continue. This facility will play a key infrastructure role in activating intra-Asia-Pacific trade and handling transshipment cargo volumes connecting Northeast Asia regions such as Dalian, Qingdao, Ulaanbaatar, and Guam."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.