DHL 30% profit growth led by heavy air freight
DHL Group delivered strong results in the second quarter behind its Express division, which captured more heavyweight air cargo from logistics companies and AI-projects looking for reliable air capacity in a tight market. The post DHL 30% profit growth led by heavy air freight appeared first on FreightWaves.
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Heavier air shipments at its Express division, capacity constraints in air freight and pass through of higher fuel costs through profit-padding surcharges mechanisms helped propel a 30% increase in operating profit for DHL Group amid volatile market conditions.
The quarter favorably compared to the same three-month period in 2025, which was marked by a pullback in international shipments in response to a wave of new tariffs and other restrictive trade policies sparked by the United States. DHL (FRA: DHL) on Wednesday reported net profit grew 24%, with revenue of 22. 4 million euros (equivalent to $25.
8 billion) up 13% and earnings before interest and taxes of $2. 2 billion. The operating profit margin improved 1 point to 8. 3%. Reflecting the robust earnings momentum, DHL raised its full-year forecast last month, guiding to an EBIT of $7. 43 billion. Cash flow increased 73% to $655 million, partly due to U. S.
refunds of tariffs the Supreme Court ruled were illegally applied under emergency powers. DHL said it is passing on the refunds to customers as quickly as possible. window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag.
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push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); DHL Express operating income soared 64% as it continued to benefit from increased weight per shipment, a core metric for assessing asset utilization and charging customers, and disinclined yield and cost management.
Weight per day for time-definite international shipments is up six points from the first quarter as the company targets more industrial customers. Temporary capacity shortages in the air cargo market, especially around the Middle East conflict area, had a positive earnings impact of about $172.
6 million as volume that normally would have gone to forwarders ended up on overnight DHL flights.
DHL Express, along with FedEx and UPS, continue to take a greater share of the general air freight market as they realign capacity on their in-house airlines to carry heavier freight and move away from low-priced, light parcels as the post-Covid boom in e-commerce normalizes.
Express carriers are now responsible for moving more than half of all international air cargo tonnage, DHL said. According to Boeing and Airbus long-range forecasts, express air business will grow at a faster clip than general air cargo over the next 20 years.
CEO Tobias Meyer told analysts that DHL Express is positioned to make significant gains in air freight market share because the network’s scale, design and fuel-efficient freighters enable it to offer logistics companies better speed at affordable prices compared to regular commercial airlines.
“It’s the reliability, the speed and the predictability of the integrator model which is superior to the general air freight product. That is attractive not only for small spare parts, but also for bigger parts like turbines used in aviation or for power generation, and other complex, high-value products,” he said.
DHL Express, for example, recently helped a manufacturer of racing-grade motorcycles ship units from China and distribute them across Europe, using Express air assets to move the heavy shipments with greater speed, control and visibility. Express heavyweight “is not a cheap forwarding product in our premium network.
It is a heavier shipment in an express network with express pricing where you take into consideration the cost to produce” and revenue drops quickly to the bottom line, said CFO Melani Kries.
DHL, FedEx and UPS have each placed greater strategic focus on serving the B2B sector and key industrial verticals that require specialized logistics, and command higher rates, while gradually relinquishing many low-margin, last-mile delivery relationships with online retailers. window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd.
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enableServices(); }); googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); DHL continues to expand capabilities in premium logistics categories such as life sciences and healthcare, next-generation energy — electric vehicles, wind and battery storage — and data centers, using a cross-divisional approach to support customers.
DHL, for example, is expanding its healthcare logistics network in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and
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