F E A T U R E WORLDAIRPORTS Hong Kong’s big day dawns C


athay Pacific’s new Hong Kong cargo terminal will start operations on 21 February, the carrier announced on 10 January.


There will be a three-stage swi- tchover to the new facility for Cathay and Dragonair, starting from that date, said Cathay Pacific Services Ltd (CPSL). The wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways was set up to design, build and operate the new terminal under a 20-year franchise.


Under stage one, handling of valuable cargo, transit civil mail and transshipments for the two airlines will move to the new facility. In the summer, stage two operations will begin for all transshipments, import cargo and empty unit load device release. The terminal will achieve full operations for its two launch customers in the latter half of this year. CPSL CEO Algernon Yau described the


terminal as “one of the largest and most sophis- ticated air cargo terminals in the world”. It would offer extended cut-off times, last-minute cargo acceptance and reduced connection time for transshipments thanks to its just-in-time oper- ations and advanced technology. “As we bring our services fully online, we will further enhance Hong Kong’s position as a world -leading air cargo hub,” Yau added. Cathay Pacific cargo director Nick Rhodes said the new terminal would enhance the car- rier’s operation, “Of equal importance is our ability to help CPSL fine tune its processes so that it is ready to offer superior services when it begins accepting new customers later this year,” he added. “At the core, this new terminal is designed to support the long-term growth of air cargo in Hong Kong.” The terminal’s advanced handling systems and equipment, operating procedures and the


Edmonton “hunting” for cargo growth


NORM Richard, director of cargo and passenger route development at Edmonton International Airport, described FedEx Express’ first flight into Alberta, Can- ada, as a long-awaited moment. The A310 arrived at Edmonton from FedEx Express’ Memphis hub on 31 December, jumpstarting the courier’s five-times-weekly service to the airport. Richard said the fact that the premier export flight carried widebody freight “showed just how much this place was looking for this product”. The issue, he explained, stemmed from the region’s trade imbalance. “Alberta’s much more of an importing province,” Richard said. “So we’re about two-to-one in terms of inbound versus outbound tonnage.” The Edmonton airport team had previously identi- fied widebody service, such as FedEx Express’s, as its product-service gap, and the execution of such a ser- vice is a “tremendous asset,” he said. Richard further revealed that Edmonton recently finished a project to determine which carriers would benefit most from en- tering the Alberta market. Without naming any names, Richard disclosed that the airport is currently in talks with a certain car- rier to become the second anchor tenant of the EIA Cargo Village, the airport’s new, 4,645 square-metre (50,000-square-foot) freight complex.


Incheon boosts its green credentials


INCHEON International Airport Corporation has im- proved its green credentials by assisting in the supply of 7,360 environmentally friendly biodegradable vinyl packages as part of the Fourth Green Cargo Hub project destined for ground service companies in the airport. Support was provided by the corporation for 50 percent of the purchasing costs of the packages. The Fourth Green Cargo Hub project was started by Incheon in 2009, aimed at promoting the environmen- tally friendly growth of the air cargo industry. Around 400 lightweight air cargo containers were supplied to airlines and ground operators in airport by 2010. This resulted in emission reduction of approxi- mately 28,000 tons of CO2


gas emissions.


It is now promoting the adoption of biodegradable vinyl packages, which are made by adding biodegrad- able materials to vinyl packaging, such as corn flour, allowing for the vinyl to decompose naturally.


tailored warehouse operat- ing system are now being shaken down in eight-week operational trials involv- ing


key industry players,


business partners and gov- ernment bodies. The stage one operational trial was successfully completed in mid-December. The new HK$5.9 billion terminal can handle up to 2.6 million tonnes a year and will increase Hong Kong International Airport’s total


annual capacity by 50 percent to 7.4 million tonnes per year.


The new cargo terminal incorporates many environment-friendly features, including ener- gy-efficiency measures, while the chilled-ceiling


cooling system in the terminal offices is expected to cut power consumption by up to 30 percent. High-performance cladding has been used and the use of natural daylight maximised throughout the building.


ACW 21 JANUARY 2013


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