DHL Express has announced a major investment exceeding €40 million in Vitoria-Gasteiz to establish a new state-of-the-art aircraft maintenance hangar.

Scheduled to be operational by mid-2027, the facility will become the company’s second-largest repair centre in Europe, following its primary hub in Leipzig, Germany.

The new hangar will initially create approximately 50 jobs, with a focus on attracting skilled aviation technicians from the local area.

The facility will support maintenance activities, starting with the DHL B757 fleet and potentially expanding to other aircraft. The centre will include not only the hangar but also offices, tool storage areas, and specialised zones for key part replacements, such as engines, APU systems, landing gear, and thrust reversers.

Strategically located west of DHL Express’s current hub at Vitoria Airport, the new facility will span over 19,700 sqm, featuring a 6,600 sqm hangar, 1,605 sqm of outdoor facilities, and an 11,500 sqm runway platform.

In alignment with DHL Group‘s commitment to sustainability, the new building will be carbon-neutral, contributing to the company’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Additionally, the hangar is expected to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by minimising the need for repositioning flights to external maintenance facilities.

The new centre will also enhance service efficiency, particularly in the maintenance and recovery of out-of-service aircraft within the Iberian Peninsula.

Jesús Sánchez, senior vice president of hubs and gateways at DHL Express Europe, said: “In addition to helping to decongest the repair and tuning operations of the fleets currently carried out in Leipzig, [the new hangar] allows us to continue making significant investments in Spain and open the door to local talent, since it will be essential to have maintenance technicians with qualified training.”

Tomás Holgado, vice president of hubs and gateways at DHL Express Spain, said: “The location of Vitoria-Gasteiz, close to both European countries and Morocco, the capacity and operational quality of Vitoria Airport and the support we have received from the main public institutions and local authorities have made it the perfect location to build this new hangar and demonstrates DHL Express’ commitment to continue investing in Spain, a key country for our global strategy.”

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