Four months after launching its Heavyweight Express service for India’s manufacturing sector, Infrastructure Today’s Manish Pant spoke with Sandeep Juneja, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, DHL Express India, about the company’s roadmap in the world’s fastest‑growing major economy. While the ongoing West Asia conflict has added uncertainty to global supply chains, Juneja remains optimistic about India’s opportunities in data centres, automotive, engineering, life sciences, healthcare and new energy. Edited excerpts.
Since its launch on May 11, how has the Indian market responded to Heavyweight Express, your express air solution with up to 3,000 kg as the entry point?
From DHL’s perspective, the proposition we built— Heavyweight Express—rests on a fully controlled and largely owned global network. That’s unique. In international supply chains, shipments often change multiple hands before reaching their destination. What we offer is end‑to‑end control, which gives organisations peace of mind when moving high‑value or high‑impact cargo. The demand already exists. India’s manufacturing ecosystem is being pushed to connect more deeply with global trade, and logistics growth is essential for that. Heavyweight Express combines our forte—speed in transport, clearance and network reliability—with the ability to handle large consignments. Since the launch, the response has been strong. Industry players have long wanted a credible, fast and transparent supply chain, and this solution is resonating.
This demand trend is also visible across the wider region. DHL Express recently reported a 16 per cent increase in Time Definite International (TDI) heavyweight cargo volumes across Asia-Pacific, excluding China, between January and July 2026 following the launch of Heavy Weight Express. The growth has been driven by increasing movement of time-critical industrial components, machinery and equipment, underscoring the growing need for faster, more reliable logistics solutions.
In a price‑sensitive market like India, why should industries choose DHL’s solution over traditional providers?
Smart businesses know cost matters, but they also recognise the value of quality. In high‑stakes situations, the cost of failure or delay far outweighs the cost of using a credible express provider. Imagine downtime in a plant because a critical component is missing. An hour of lost production can be extremely expensive. Or consider product launches and installations with zero tolerance for delay; in such cases, speed and certainty matter more than cost. Life sciences provide another example. Maintaining strict temperature ranges from India to the US requires special handling. Organisations want supply chains they can trust.
Beyond that, supply chain heads today are balancing cost with efficiency and working capital optimisation. Heavy inventories tie up cash. By shifting to just‑in‑time models, companies rely on partners that can deliver with 97-98 per cent reliability in two to three days worldwide. Heavyweight Express becomes a financial lever, replacing inventory with speed and certainty, and unlocking cash flows. Heavyweight Express movement requires specialised capabilities, including appropriate material-handling equipment, airport-terminal infrastructure, specific aircraft-loading processes and strong customs-clearance capabilities. The offering brings these capabilities together with DHL’s core strength in speed.
Have you adapted the service to meet India‑specific requirements?
Yes, and there are two parts to this. First, we invest heavily upfront to ensure speed through our own aircraft, airport terminals, containers, and 24×7 customs clearance. We standardise and mechanise processes, from material handling equipment to container loading, so the system itself delivers special attention. Second, we customise for India’s specific needs. For example, customs clearance here requires additional paperwork. To manage this across a vast manufacturing base, we created DIHT, the DHL Import Easy Tool. It allows importers to submit documents before goods even leave the foreign airport. By the time shipments land in India, 70-75 per cent are already cleared. Temperature control is another area. Our packaging is tested to perform in both low‑temperature zones like Europe and high‑temperature zones in India. And our domestic network connects 750 cities through hubs in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi, with additional flights from Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Since 1979, we have built this network to meet India’s scale and complexity.
How have the energy shock earlier this year and the conflict in West Asia affected your operations?
Fuel costs rise, routes become longer, and passenger aircraft capacity shrinks. Much global cargo still moves in passenger bellies, so when airlines cut flights, supply chains suffer. What helps us is our dedicated freighter network. From India, we operate over 50 air freighters weekly into Delhi and Bengaluru, supplemented by commercial capacity. Globally, DHL utilises a broader network of
over 275 aircraft. This self-dependence allows us to maintain consistent transit times even during crises.
What’s the current sentiment in the air cargo industry from DHL’s perspective?
Air capacity has been volatile. It has improved recently, and that’s good for businesses, economies and for us. Faced with uncertainties in the external environment due to geopolitical tensions, it is important to maintain resilience in supply chain networks. At DHL, we live by the line ‘Connecting People, Improving Lives’. Whether times are anxious or calm, our role is to keep supply chains running. That resilience differentiates networks like ours.
To what extent have your freighter services been impacted?
From India’s perspective, our freighter network remained intact. We rerouted flights to maintain connectivity with trade partners. If a route like Mumbai-Bahrain-Europe was disrupted, we shifted cargo to Delhi freighters flying daily into Germany. Indian businesses that depended on West Asian carriers were protected because we could reconfigure our network quickly.
DHL has partnerships with DGFT, GJEPC and ONDC to promote cross‑border e‑commerce exports. How do you intend to leverage these tie‑ups?
The opportunity is clear. China exports about $2,500 per person in merchandise, while India exports only around $320 per person. Even modest gains in competitiveness can create huge incremental trade. India’s trade is about 20 per cent of GDP, compared to Southeast Asian countries that export over 100 per cent of GDP. India’s lower ratio makes us resilient but also highlights untapped potential. Government focus is strong. DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) is driving e‑commerce exports, GJEPC (Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council) is supporting jewellery, and ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) is opening new channels. Our role is to support nation‑building by reducing compliance burdens and making processes easier. For example, district‑as‑export‑hub initiatives aim to help local manufacturers go global. We are working with government bodies to simplify processes, educate exporters, and expand participation. The more Indians who can access global trade, the stronger the economy becomes, and naturally, we benefit too.
Since you manage your own fleet of freighters, how do you view airport infrastructure expansion in India?
It’s a positive development. We are making significant investments in airport facilities and specialised warehouses. For example, we have created centres of excellence for life sciences, with different temperature zones to handle sensitive products. In Bengaluru, we operate a 130,000 sq. ft airport terminal with our own conveyors, bonded area and customs inside the facility. In Delhi, we have three separate terminals—for imports, exports and auto sort—and are now working with Delhi International Airport Ltd on an integrated facility.
In Mumbai, we are expanding our western India presence by using NMIA (Navi Mumbai International Airport) as a complementary, additional gateway alongside the existing airport. Following two to three years of groundwork with regulators and airport stakeholders, we established a day-one operational presence at NMIA. Through our subsidiary, Skyline Air Logistics, we achieved first-mover milestones by securing the airport’s first customs house agent clearance and entry token for export operations. This dual-gateway approach places our infrastructure directly adjacent to key manufacturing, export, and port hubs across JNPA (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority), Navi Mumbai, Taloja, and the Pune industrial corridor to improve transit efficiency. For an express company, landing our own aircraft, operating our own terminals and building our own containers are essential. In all major hubs—Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi—we are already large in terms of infrastructure, and we are expanding further. The government and airport operators have been supportive, and we are proactively securing space as development progresses.
DHL has been using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on its freighter operations. How significant is this initiative?
It’s very significant. SAF can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80-90 per cent compared to standard aviation fuel. Production is still limited, and costs are higher, but we have committed since 2023 to replace as much fuel as possible, with clear 2030 targets. We are proud to be among the largest buyers of SAF globally. Thousands of Indian customers are already using our GoGreen Plus service, which allows them to burn less carbon in their supply chains. Western companies increasingly prefer sourcing from carbon‑friendly partners, so Indian exporters benefit by aligning with sustainable logistics. Beyond SAF, we are investing in solar, EVs and other green initiatives internally. Sustainability is not optional; it’s a responsibility. By offering services that reduce emissions, we help our customers meet their own commitments while building a cleaner future.
You spoke about visible opportunities in the market. Within the identified industry segments, which new sub‑sectors are you keen to tap over time?
India has strengths across multiple sectors. For Heavyweight Express, technology is a major one, with India emerging as a base for data centres. Automotive, engineering, machinery, life sciences and healthcare are also integrating more deeply into global supply chains. Healthcare has always been stable, but it’s growing further as awareness rises. India is now a dependable base for generics, formulations and research. Another sunrise sector is new energy. With EVs, solar and wind gaining traction, sustainability is driving demand. The better we understand these industries, the more we can align our solutions to their specific requirements. Government support is strong, with policies designed to help these sectors take off. And of course, e‑commerce remains a huge focus. Beyond large manufacturers, the real challenge is enabling millions of small producers and artisans to access global markets. That’s where DHL plays a role: simplifying processes and making exports easier for smaller players.
– Manish Pant