Fraport's Frankfurt cargo plan puts cooperation before expansion

Grace Kim

Fraport has set a target of 50% growth in cargo at Frankfurt Airport by 2040, rather than relying on a single project or initiative. Felix Toepsch, its newly appointed vice president for cargo development, said the CargoHub Masterplan rests on three pillars:

• Site optimisation and development.
• Digitalisation and process innovation.
• Collaboration across the Air Cargo Community in Frankfurt and internationally.

That means reaching one-and-a-half times the present scale, although Fraport disclosed neither a baseline tonnage nor an annual growth rate. The arithmetic is simple; execution is not.

What does the 50% target require?

Frankfurt’s proposed route is to use land more intensively before adding any new cargo footprint. Toepsch said the airport still has room to grow, and Fraport will optimise existing logistics sites while developing additional areas already designated for logistics. The plan requires no expansion beyond approved areas, although no approving authority, approval date or capital cost was disclosed.

Toepsch’s airfreight career began more than 13 years ago while he studied Aviation Management in Frankfurt, attracted by aviation’s international reach and complexity. He joined Fraport in 2013 and worked in business development, process optimisation and innovation.

He describes air cargo as a system connecting businesses, economies and people across the globe, often in ways the public cannot see. “Successful cargo hubs are built not only on infrastructure, but also on collaboration and trust,” Toepsch said.

Since January 2023, he has served as executive director of Air Cargo Community Frankfurt. In that role, he has worked with more than 115 companies and institutions across almost every part of the freight value chain.

The more-than-115 organisations include airlines, freight forwarders, handling companies, authorities and technology providers, a breadth few airports can match. That figure measures participation, not faster handling or lower costs.

Under this arrangement, Frankfurt has already pursued digitalisation, process harmonisation and community-wide operating standards. Toepsch credited shared objectives for faster progress, including cooperation among companies that otherwise compete.

He called the Air Cargo Community one of Frankfurt’s principal strengths and personally a subject close to him. He argued that digital transformation, capacity management and rising customer expectations cannot be solved by one company alone.

Fraport, Air Cargo Community Frankfurt and the allivate joint venture are developing the FAIR@Link Cargo Community System. Its stated goals are more automation, less administrative work, better visibility and easier cooperation through fast, secure and transparent data exchange among airlines, freight forwarders, handling agents, customs authorities and trucking companies.

FAIR@Link remains under development, with no launch date or performance measure supplied and no participating airline or regulatory authority named. It should therefore not be counted as delivered capacity; the 2040 target likewise remains an ambition rather than an operating result.

Where does additional capacity come from?

Toepsch argues that better information flow can create more usable capacity than physical infrastructure alone. Digital planning can improve transparency and resource use, while targeted development at CargoCity South and additional logistics areas supplies space where future demand justifies it. The claim remains unquantified: Fraport disclosed no additional tonnage capacity, handling-time reduction or cost saving from digitalisation.

The three masterplan pillars therefore have to operate together. Space cannot compensate for inefficient processes, and digital systems cannot achieve their full effect without the right infrastructure. Fraport and the CargoHub Masterplan partners, including customers, service providers, authorities and industry, are also working on common standards so that better information becomes usable freight-handling capacity rather than another layer of administration.

What is changing in cargo demand?

Over the past decade, global supply chains have become more complex and, in many cases, more vulnerable. Geopolitical developments, economic disruptions, changing trade patterns and shifting routes can redirect cargo flows quickly, while the pace of technological and operational change has increased. Frankfurt therefore competes on more than proximity: flows gravitate toward locations offering efficiency, reliability, cost competitiveness and economic viability.

Pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, high-value goods, biotech and e-commerce now require greater speed, transparency and process reliability. Toepsch said digitalisation, data sharing and operational resilience have moved from competitive advantages to basic requirements. His definition extends beyond moving goods from A to B; cargo hubs increasingly enable connected supply chains through smart, efficient logistics systems.

Can Frankfurt outgrow competing hubs?

Toepsch said other airports are growing faster in part because they benefit from less complex regulation and greater planning certainty. He called for greater regulatory harmonisation across Europe and internationally competitive operating conditions. Airports, airlines and logistics providers can invest and improve processes, but he argued that long-term growth also depends on policy decisions that allow innovation and create a level playing field.

The CargoHub Masterplan is Fraport’s response, combining infrastructure, digitalisation and efficiency investment with its partners. Toepsch’s objective is for Frankfurt to remain Europe’s leading cargo hub and to give existing and future customers a digital, efficient, competitive and reliable logistics environment. That remains an objective rather than a demonstrated result, since no comparative throughput, cost or reliability data were provided for Frankfurt against faster-growing airports.

How will growth fit around neighbours?

Fraport’s masterplan treats responsible operation as a growth measure, alongside volume and economic performance. It includes no airport expansion beyond approved areas and instead emphasises optimised existing sites, designated logistics areas and reductions in operational impact. The latter already has a concrete example: CargoCity South has introduced the Common Pre-Check-In process.

Centralised truck management and slot booking systems are intended to organise road traffic more efficiently, reduce congestion and cut unnecessary vehicle movements. Fraport also maintains continuous dialogue with political stakeholders, businesses and neighbouring communities, offering engagement at an early stage. Fraport did not quantify those traffic reductions, so the traffic benefit remains unquantified.

Frankfurt cargo supports thousands of jobs directly and indirectly while connecting regional businesses to global markets, according to Toepsch. He considers that link a contribution to economic prosperity and supply-chain resilience.

He put the trade-off plainly: “The question is not whether Frankfurt should remain a strong cargo hub or a good neighbour. It has to be both, and that is the standard we set ourselves.”

The forward test is whether Fraport can turn its 50% ambition, FAIR@Link and better truck scheduling into faster, cheaper and more reliable cargo flows without leaving the approved footprint. By 2040, the community model will have to produce measurable capacity, not merely better coordination.