DHL Express has opened a new regional hub at Brussels Airport in Belgium. It will have the capacity to handle more than 42,000 parcels per hour.

The new, 36500 square metre hub cost €140 million to build and features advanced logistics technology that effectively quadruples DHL Express’s capacity in the Belgian capital. There will be 200 new jobs at the site.

The new hub has two automated sorting systems that can process 42,000 packages an hour. This is the fifth largest parcel hub in the DHL global network.

Linked by road to a number of European destinations, there will be direct intercontinental connections to the Middle East, the Americas and Africa.

DHL Express CEO Ken Allen said: “Brussels plays a crucial role in the worldwide DHL Express network. Brussels Hub is one of our largest hubs in the world and because of its location in the logistics heart of Europe, it also plays an important role in connecting companies from this region with the world.

DHL Brussels Hub vice president Koen Gouweloose said: “This new hub is a great example of some of the latest state-of-the-art logistics technology. It allows us to process even more packages even more quickly and efficiently.”