DHL Express Puts €55 Million Into New Stockholm Arlanda Gateway

DHL Express has started construction on a new international gateway near Stockholm Arlanda Airport, a project worth more than €55 million and slated to go live in 2028. The build, developed with real estate partner Slättö through its logistics and light industrial platform Evolv, sits in Arlanda Stad and forms one leg of a wider Nordic-Baltic investment push now totalling roughly €180 million.

The numbers behind the new Swedish facility are concrete. It will span approximately 14,000 square metres and run an automated sorting system rated at up to 6,000 shipments per hour. The design adds 60 direct-loading positions and infrastructure for electric delivery vans. DHL Express says the layout accommodates future growth while improving shipment handling and operational efficiency.

What does the gateway change for Swedish shippers?

The site adds capacity for international express shipments and tightens connections between Swedish businesses and DHL Express' global network, which spans roughly 220 countries and territories. Its position next to Stockholm Arlanda Airport and major road links supports time-sensitive cargo moving between international air services and domestic distribution networks — a standard play for express integrators chasing import/export growth.

DHL Express frames the demand case around manufacturing, technology, life sciences, automotive and e-commerce, all sectors with rising international shipping requirements in Sweden.

Gareth Biggs, Managing Director of DHL Express Sweden, said shifts in global trade patterns are increasing demand for reliable international logistics connections. He pointed to supply chain diversification and the growing requirements of industrial technology, advanced manufacturing and life sciences as key drivers.

Thommy Hall, VP Network Operations at DHL Express Sweden, said the new automated infrastructure would deliver additional processing capacity while supporting the company's longer-term operational requirements.

How does Stockholm fit the wider Nordic-Baltic plan?

The Stockholm project forms part of a broader DHL Express programme covering gateway facilities across Northern Europe. Recent builds include:

• A €100 million gateway at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland
• A €24 million facility at Tallinn Airport in Estonia
• The new €55 million-plus Stockholm Arlanda development

Together, these represent approximately €180 million in gateway infrastructure across the Nordic and Baltic markets. The company says the projects will increase regional processing capacity and strengthen links with its international network, giving businesses greater access to express services as exporters and importers adapt supply chains to changing market conditions.

For shippers in the region, the practical effect is straightforward: more express capacity, faster handling through automation, and better air-side access in three capital-city markets by the end of the decade. For competitors such as FedEx and UPS, it signals DHL Express doubling down on Nordic infrastructure at a time when trade flows are being rerouted rather than shrinking.

With the Arlanda gateway not operational until 2028, and Helsinki and Tallinn already delivered, DHL Express has positioned its Nordic-Baltic network for the next cycle of trade growth rather than the current one.