Air France-KLM opens new cargo facility at JFK

Franco-Dutch airline venture Air France-KLM Cargo has opened the doors to its improved freight handling facility at New York’s biggest and busiest airfreight gateway, JFK.
The upgraded facility can handle a wide range of freight types, including pharmaceuticals, valuables, live animals and express shipments, in addition to general cargo.
It incorporates discrete cool-chain areas, one of 72 cu m for cargo stored at between 2 and 8°C, and one of 108 cu m for cool-chain freight maintained at a steady temperature of between 15 and 25°C. The facility also offers 10 charging points for active temperature-controlled containers.
A strongroom is available for storing valuable shipments in safety, while the facility is in the same building as JFK’s ARK – set to open for business this autumn, the ARK will offer boarding, veterinary and quarantine services for the import and export of live animals through the airport.
Also supporting Air France-KLM Cargo’s movement of live animals through JFK will be temperature-controlled vehicles for movement across the airport.
For more general cargo operations, a ULD ‘roll-through’ option allows for rapid acceptance and processing of containers, while a specific entrance for express shipments is designed to allow these shipments to be handled with the speed required.
The upgraded facility has 50% more truck dock doors and ample space for up to 53-ft trailers to manoeuvre and park on the landside area of what is known as Building 78.
Andy Newbold, regional director at AFKLMP (Air France-KLM-Martinair) Cargo, believes the “significant upgrade in facilities and infrastructure” at JFK will boost the freight carrier’s “competitive edge”.