The technical relief organization will expand the logistics capacities at Cologne / Bonn Airport. A corresponding contract was signed on Thursday between the airport and the federal agency.

"The cooperation with Cologne / Bonn Airport is a logical bridge after the THW opened its new logistics center in Hilden (North Rhine-Westphalia) in June 2021 in order to bundle its logistics expertise for domestic and international assignments," said THW President Gerd Peaceful when signing the contract.

When the Federal Government sends the THW abroad with one of its rapid deployment units at the next international request for help - such as the SEEBA (Rapid Deployment Unit for Mountains Abroad) to Beirut in August 2020 - then the material will in future come from Hilden via the airport Cologne / Bonn to the respective area of ​​operation. “As an important air traffic hub in North Rhine-Westphalia with an outstanding position in the field of air freight in Europe, the airport is predestined to support the THW quickly and efficiently in its operations in the future. We look forward to supporting the THW in its important tasks in the future, ”says airport manager Johan Vanneste. "To ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible in the event of an emergency, cooperation agreements, such as with Cologne / Bonn Airport, are regulated in detail in advance," said THW President Gerd Friedsam today when the cooperation agreement was signed with Cologne / Bonn Airport GmbH.

After the move from Heiligenhaus (and gradually also from the central warehouse for foreign logistics / Mainz) to the modern, brand new logistics center in Hilden and thanks to the cooperation with Cologne / Bonn Airport, the THW will be even better positioned in the logistics area in the future. Hilden offers space for 8.500 euro pallets of operational equipment, devices and tools on a 42.000 m2 site. A team of full-time and voluntary logistics specialists is available to put together the required technology, pack it and provide customs papers. In the future, it will go from Hilden via Cologne / Bonn to all possible locations in the world. The associated THW team will also be deployed via Cologne / Bonn Airport, but will continue to be sent via Frankfurt / Main Airport.

In addition, the German Bundestag recently approved the construction of four further logistics centers (LogZ) distributed across Germany as a consequence of the bottlenecks at the beginning of the corona pandemic. It will take some time to set up, but then aid supplies and material for THW emergency operations will also be stored here.

The THW is the voluntary organization of the federal government. The commitment of almost 80.000 volunteers nationwide, half of them emergency workers, is the basis for the work of the THW in civil protection. With its specialist knowledge and diverse experience, THW is a sought-after supporter for the fire brigade, police, aid organizations and others. The THW is also used worldwide on behalf of the federal government. This includes technical and logistical assistance as part of the European Union's disaster control procedure and on behalf of UN organizations.