By TOM PETERS
July 13, 2009
Air cargo infrastructure at Halifax Stanfield International Airport will get a long-awaited boost with the construction of a new multi-tenant cargo facility.
Construction of the 40,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to start in mid-July. The Halifax International Airport Authority already has prepared the site, which will be accessible to aircraft.
Doug McRae, a spokesman for private investor Gateway Facilities ULC, said the facility will have 8,000 square feet of space for temperature-controlled cargo. It will be the largest temperature-controlled facility located at an airport in the Atlantic region, which will be a plus when it comes to marketing the asset.
Tom Ruth, the airport authority’s president and CEO, said the Halifax airport handles about half of all the air cargo that moves through the Atlantic region. It processed about 28,000 tonnes in 2008.
The new $15-million project, which will be cost-shared between the airport authority and private industry, is part of the authority’s long-term strategy and potentially will attract some of the large volumes of cargo that are still trucked out of the region to points in the U.S. and Canada, Mr. Ruth said.
One of the tenants will be FedEx and Mr. McRae said discussions are ongoing with other potential users.
Halifax airport currently has three dedicated freighters a week to Belgium, with one of those continuing on to Asian destinations.
The new cargo storage building is expected to be operational in December or early in 2010.
The project will not only be a boost to the cargo business – especially perishable products that require a temperature-controlled environment – but will combine nicely with the authority’s further plans to lengthen its main runway to 10,500 feet from the present 8,800 feet.
The additional length would allow for larger aircraft and heavier loads at the airport.