Airports of Thailand (AoT) has forged an alliance with Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding of Germany to collaborate on best practices in airport cargo operations and route development.
The collaboration was made official with the conclusion of a Sister Airport Agreement (SAA) on Sept 20 at a ceremony in Bangkok.
Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding, the operator of Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ), joins a pool of 14 companies and organisations in 10 countries that have collaborated with Thailand’s largest airport operator through sister airport programmes, said AoT.
LEJ operates the second busiest airport cargo hub in Germany and the fourth busiest in Europe. It serves over 250 destinations, connecting Germany to Europe through a direct link to the trans-European motorway and European rail network.
The airport serves 90 airlines and accommodates more than 1.5 million passengers and 1.6 million tonnes of cargo movements per year. As well, LEJ has received CEIV Pharma certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Together with its expertise in e-commerce cargo, this enables LEJ to serve as a European air freight hub for DHL Express International. It is also the first Amazon Air Hub in Europe.
AoT said it hoped the Sister Airport Agreement between the two organisations would help drive the development of a world-class air cargo hub. The cooperation will be undertaken through regular meetings, exchange of information, joint marketing and promotion and joint work activities.
Representing AoT at the signing ceremony were Anake Teeraviwatchai, senior executive vice-president for corporate strategy; and Sirote Duangratana, senior EVP for business development and marketing. They were joined by Götz Ahmelmann, chief executive officer of Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding, and Sandra Hamann, senior manager of strategic projects, and other representatives from both companies.