Logistics sector Overview

Thanks to its centralised location, top-notch airport and cargo facilities, and links with major road, rail, and river arteries, Luxembourg has become a top European logistics hub.

When it comes to logistics and handling cargo, Luxembourg is quickly moving up in the rankings. The Luxembourg Cargocenter is now the sixth largest freight airport in Europe and the 25th largest in the world – quite a feat for a country with a population of just over 600,000. There are many reasons for the country’s advanced logistics capabilities including its superb infrastructure, large handling capacity, and its location in the heart of western Europe at the nexus of air, water, and land routes.

The national railway company CFL operates the country’s intermodal terminal, which has the capacity of 600,000 handlings per year. For heavy bulk traffic, Luxembourg offers an inland port on the Moselle river in Mertert for cargo destined for the North Sea or other inland locations. Luxembourg is also home to two large logistics parks, Eurohub Centre and Eurohub South, which are both short distances from the airport, multimodal rail/road terminal, and the river port. The two parks contain warehouses to which about a quarter of a million square metres of space have been added since 2013.

On top of its general logistics capabilities, the Grand Duchy has many attractive features, such as its expertise in handling special cargo. The country is also home to Cargolux, the largest all-cargo carrier in Europe. In addition to Cargolux, Luxembourg is served by a variety of airfreight carriers that offer connections on every continent including China Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways. The country is also an intercontinental hub for multi-modal and value-added logistics, as well as third-party logistics (3PL) and fourth-party logistics (4PL) providers. 

Location

Luxembourg is an ideal port of entry to the entire EU market. The country is located between Belgium, France, and Germany, the last two of which are Europe’s largest markets. The airport is two minutes from the motorway and many of Europe’s largest cities including Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Munich, Brussels, and Cologne are just a few hours away via a well-developed network of highways. Other large cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Milan, and Prague are less than a day’s drive away. As for rail transport, Luxembourg is situated at the juncture of north-south and east-west railways. Reliable connections are available for ports in Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent. And in 2019, a freight train service to China was launched. 

Special cargo expertise

Over the years, Luxembourg has developed specialisation in several types of cargo that require delicate handling and storage. At the airport is a dedicated handling centre for medical and pharmaceutical goods that is certified by Good Distribution Practices (GDP). For valuable goods such as artwork, vintage wines, or jewellery, the high-security Freeport is ideal. State-of-the-art temperature-controlled facilities are available for shipments of perishable items. Luxembourg Airport also contains a station for live animals with a certified inspection post, veterinary services, and holding units for many species. The country also has considerable expertise for handling electronics as well as cargo from the automotive industry, dangerous goods, and outsized items, and it even has a dedicated area for freshly cut flowers.