FedEx Express recently opened its new gateway facility at Copenhagen Airport.

The new facility will serve as a gateway for inbound and outbound shipments for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. It marks the ninth new FedEx Express facility in the Nordic region in the last five years.

“The Nordic gateway will bring our Nordic customers even closer to the rest of the world,” said David Canavan, senior vice president, Operations, FedEx Express Europe. “By combining courier, customs clearance, sortation and aircraft operations in a single location, we will further enhance operations in the Nordics. I am delighted that we are fully operational just over a year after we announced this investment.”

The gateway’s location at Copenhagen Airport is enhanced by its strong freight transport infrastructure and proximity to Sweden, Canavan noted. “The facility is a key part of our growth strategy in Europe, where we have expanded with more than 100 new stations since 2011,” he added.

The Nordics region—Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden—has experienced steady economic growth in recent times, leading to an average forecasted GDP growth of 2% in 2016. This upward trend is also reflected in FedEx Express shipping data. Shipments between June 2014 and May 2015 from these markets to the rest of Europe increased by more than 24 percent compared to the previous 12 months. North America in particular has also grown in economic significance for the Nordics, with the overall number of FedEx Express shipments from the Nordic region to North America increasing by about 22 percent between June 2014 and May 2015, compared to the same period the previous year.

“Ideally positioned between North America and the Middle East, Copenhagen Airport has gained status as the largest cargo hub in Northern Europe,” said Thomas Woldbye, chief executive officer, Copenhagen Airports. “In 2015 more than 370,000 tons of cargo came through the airport and with the new FedEx facility we have made room for even more cargo in the coming years. This is great news for Denmark and Copenhagen Airport.”

The new 86,000 square-foot facility can sort 3,300 packages per hour, process 18 weekly FedEx Express flights, 170 truck movements per week and a fleet of up to 36 pick-up and delivery vehicles. Approximately 120 FedEx Express team members will work at the site. The facility is located in the airport´s cargo area near the Oresund Bridge to Sweden.