Delivery service unveils £16m investment at East Midlands Airport

DHL Express UK has unveiled a £16m investment in electric ground service vehicles and infrastructure at East Midlands Airport.

Spread over three years, the initiative aims to introduce 100 new pieces of electric ground service equipment, including tugs, ‘nose lifter’ vehicles, high-loaders, and belt-loaders.

This move comes as operations intensify at the airport in preparation for the Christmas season, handling over a million items nightly.

East Midlands Airport anticipates handling 400,000 tonnes of goods by the end of the financial year.

James Neill from DHL Express UK said: “We are excited to be making this investment in our operations at EMA and showcase our commitment to using the latest green innovations. As well as making progress in reducing emissions resulting directly from flights and aviation fuel, it’s important that we’re looking at every aspect of our operation to make gains everywhere we can.”

Steve Griffiths, East Midlands Airport’s managing director, said: “DHL’s investment is a positive development as we, as an industry, take steps to decarbonise. We’re committed to becoming a net zero airport by 2038 and innovations like DHL’s help move us a step closer to that goal. As the UK’s largest pure air cargo hub, the port of East Midlands Freeport, an early adopter of green innovation in the aviation industry and a site with further untapped potential, I believe there is a bright future for us.”