Construction on Edmonton cargo facility underway

CONSTRUCTION on a new multi-tenant cargo facility at Edmonton International Airport in Canada began on 20 April.

Edmonton Air Cargo Development Group will own the CA$16 million (US$16.8 million) building, which will open in early 2012. The facility will have 50,000 square feet of cargo-handling space, with the airport authority providing 22,000m² of aircraft-handling apron space. More than half the space has already been leased.

Work on the project was initiated by a group of Saskatchewan First Nations. A feasibility assessment completed in 2010, leading to the creation of an equal partnership between the First Nations investment group and the Terracap Group, an Ontario-based property development group.

The new cargo facility is a component of a plan to establish a more integrated, efficient and competitive transportation and logistics system for the capital region.

The cargo facility is the first project announced for 200 acres of land adjacent to the main runway that the airport authority serviced last year at a cost of more than CA$20 million (US$21 million).