Swissport to expand in Brussels with new cargo centre

Swissport is investing in a new air cargo facility at Brussels Airport as it targets growth in the pharma sector.

Swissport has signed a long-term lease and is investing several million euros in equipment and fittings for the new facility, which is being built by Brussels Airport Company.

The building will consist of a 25,000 sq m warehouse, a material handling system, office space and 3,620 sq m of end-to-end facilities.

The brand new Swissport Pharma Center will feature an increased surface area for pharmaceutical products and ambient pharma space (+15° to +25°C) will more than triple from 800 sq m to 2,620 sq m. Additionally, a 1,000 sq m cooling facility (+2° to +8°C) will be available.

Landside it will feature 50 truck loading bays in a closed perimeter, while airside there will be “speed gates”, enabling “time efficient logistics processes from the warehouse into the aircraft cargo hold”.

Luzius Wirth, Executive Vice President Europe, Middle-East & Africa (EMEA) for Swissport, said: “Our new warehouse and the state-of-the-art Swissport Pharma Center will be the benchmark for modern and efficient air cargo and pharma logistics.

“The investment underlines our commitment to the Belgian market. In parallel we are working to improve the profitability of our Belgian business activities in order to create long-term job security for our staff.”

Construction of the new Swissport facility started in January 2019 and will take about two years to complete, following a phased approach.

Swissport Belgium, with a workforce of some 2,000 employees, handles more than 550,000 tons of air cargo each year.