PHL air cargo and airport support facility to start construction soon

Development of a 70,000 sq ft air cargo and airport support facility at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is expected to start in the next few months.

PHL is continuing to work on its $1.2bn cargo expansion strategy announced last year as part of its partnership with Aviation Facilities Company Management (AFCO), and an initial element of the strategy is AFCO’s development of an air cargo and airport support facility on approximately nine acres of the former PHL economy parking lot.

Currently in the pre-construction phase, the AFCO team expects to break ground on the new facility in the coming months. The project addresses growing regional demand for air cargo and logistics in and around the airport.

The proposed facility will provide airport businesses with modern and efficient space for their operations and direct access to the airfield. The facility will be located near Terminal E and Runway 17/35.

James Tyrrell, PHL’s chief revenue officer, said: “We are excited to formalize our partnership with AFCO, with a Letter of Intent, for Phase 1 of the PHL Cargo Expansion Strategy. Together, we will increase capacity and expand air freight logistics options at PHL, with the development of new modern cargo and airside support facilities and the re-development of our existing facilities.”

AFCO’s president and chief executive Chuck Stipancic said: “We’re excited to work with PHL and the businesses at the Airport on this much needed project. The leadership team at PHL has a clear plan for upgrading the cargo facilities at the Airport, and this project is one of the first steps towards achieving the region’s goals.”

Upon completion of the economy lot facility, several current tenants of Building C2 will relocate to the new facility, allowing for the repositioning of Building C2 and expanded cargo capacity and operations. The renovations at Building C2 will focus on facility infrastructure upgrades and on the creation of 35,000-40,000 sq ft of cargo processing.

In December, the airport secured US Federal Government funding to help it roll out the cargo expansion program.