Haliguy
Sep 18, 2008, 6:42 PM
Cargo facility for Halifax airport to go ahead
By TOM PETERS Business Reporter and The Canadian Press
Thu. Sep 18 - 10:20 AM
The Halifax International Airport Authority has announced a $12 million project with Gateway Facilities Inc., to build an air cargo facility.
Under a lease agreement the company will build and manage a 3,600 square metre multi-tenant facility at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
In a news release Thursday, authority President and CEO Tom Ruth says the project ``opens the door'' for economic growth in the Atlantic region's air cargo industry.
The authority says Transport Canada recently granted approval for the Halifax airport to participate in the international air cargo transshipment program
The program allows air cargo to be moved through Canada for shipment to third countries.
Airport authority spokesman Peter Spurway says site development tenders will be issued immediately, with construction tenders soon to follow.
The majority of cargo moving through Halifax is seafood and there is limited temperature-controlled space now available at the airport to hold these products.
The authority has been anxious to get this project off the ground for a long time but has been unable to get a commitment from the private sector because of the inconsistency in service of dedicated cargo aircraft.
However, it is believed Doug McRae of Worldwide Perishables, a major exporter of seafood, has joined the authority in the project.
The airport handled nearly 30,000 tonnes of cargo in 2007 and the authority has been focused on increasing that business. A cargo study completed a year or so ago for the authority indicated there was a considerable volume of seafood being trucked out of the province to Montreal and U.S. airports to make air connections to international markets.
The authority feels a new cargo facility will prove attractive to shippers and air cargo carriers.
The federal government’s recent decision to approve the airport’s participation in the international air cargo program could also be a boost to Halifax’s cargo fortunes.
Under the program, cargo could be flown from the United States into Halifax, stored temporarily and then flown to a European destination. International air cargo could also arrive from overseas and be shipped by rail or road from Halifax to the United States.
The authority says one flight per week of a wide-bodied aircraft generates about $100,000 annually for the authority, and also generates both direct and indirect jobs.
( tpeters@herald.ca)
By TOM PETERS Business Reporter and The Canadian Press
Thu. Sep 18 - 10:20 AM
The Halifax International Airport Authority has announced a $12 million project with Gateway Facilities Inc., to build an air cargo facility.
Under a lease agreement the company will build and manage a 3,600 square metre multi-tenant facility at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
In a news release Thursday, authority President and CEO Tom Ruth says the project ``opens the door'' for economic growth in the Atlantic region's air cargo industry.
The authority says Transport Canada recently granted approval for the Halifax airport to participate in the international air cargo transshipment program
The program allows air cargo to be moved through Canada for shipment to third countries.
Airport authority spokesman Peter Spurway says site development tenders will be issued immediately, with construction tenders soon to follow.
The majority of cargo moving through Halifax is seafood and there is limited temperature-controlled space now available at the airport to hold these products.
The authority has been anxious to get this project off the ground for a long time but has been unable to get a commitment from the private sector because of the inconsistency in service of dedicated cargo aircraft.
However, it is believed Doug McRae of Worldwide Perishables, a major exporter of seafood, has joined the authority in the project.
The airport handled nearly 30,000 tonnes of cargo in 2007 and the authority has been focused on increasing that business. A cargo study completed a year or so ago for the authority indicated there was a considerable volume of seafood being trucked out of the province to Montreal and U.S. airports to make air connections to international markets.
The authority feels a new cargo facility will prove attractive to shippers and air cargo carriers.
The federal government’s recent decision to approve the airport’s participation in the international air cargo program could also be a boost to Halifax’s cargo fortunes.
Under the program, cargo could be flown from the United States into Halifax, stored temporarily and then flown to a European destination. International air cargo could also arrive from overseas and be shipped by rail or road from Halifax to the United States.
The authority says one flight per week of a wide-bodied aircraft generates about $100,000 annually for the authority, and also generates both direct and indirect jobs.
( tpeters@herald.ca)