Greenville-Spartanburg airport to invest in new cargo facilities after recent growth
11 / 09 / 2018
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) will soon break ground on a new $30m cargo warehouse and ramp to meet continuing growth at the US airport.
The 110,000 sq ft warehouse and 13-acre cargo ramp are scheduled to open in the spring of 2019. It will be able to accommodate three Boeing 747-800 aircraft simultaneously.
“This new facility is going to be more than a significant accomplishment for Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport,” said Dave Edwards, GSP’s president and chief executive.
“It’s going to provide much-needed support for major manufacturers and have a direct economic impact on the Upstate.”
In fiscal year 2018, the airport district’s Cerulean Aviation supported more than 1,200 cargo flights. GSP’s cargo numbers increased nearly 39% between 2016 and 2017 and the airport moved from the 84th to 72nd busiest cargo airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Some of the cargo passing through GSP consists of automobiles, automotive parts and healthcare equipment.
This month, the airport is also the entry point for more than 550 horses competing in the World Equestrian Games in Tryon.
“Our business in the Upstate has grown and GSP has provided tremendous support in making this happen,” said Tim -Oliver Kirschbaum, chief executive for forwarder Senator International.
“We are looking forward to continuing work with GSP while serving our clients in the Upstate and this new facility will make operations even more efficient. When we started our Senator Atlantic Bridge (cargo flights between GSP and Germany’s Munich Airport and Frankfurt-Hahn Airport) in November 2016, we proposed that after a period of time, our flying programme would increase.
"Today we operate up to eight flights a week, which makes an increase of apron and warehouse space necessary. We look forward to this new environment for our employees.”
Senator will have 53 staff on-site at the new cargo facility when it opens. The forwarder most recently expanded its freighter operation from the airport to Mexico.
In 2017, the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District took on its fixed-base operator services by launching Cerulean Aviation.
Cerulean, not only supports general aviation aircraft and fueling, but it also serves as an air cargo service provider for GSP.
Cerulean’s cargo and aircraft services include on-airport cargo facilities, build-up and break-down of cargo, BUP transfer, bulk and containerized aircraft loading and unloading, on-call charter cargo handling, customs documentation processing and aircraft refueling.
GSP’s new cargo apron is partially being funded by $11m from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program.
The cargo apron is expected to cost $17m and the warehouse will cost $13m.
Read more cargo airport news
