Swissport adds third cargo centre at Liege Airport
26 / 04 / 2024
Source: Swissport
Swissport has become the largest cargo handler at Liege Airport after the addition of a third cargo centre on the back of rising e-commerce demand.
The new 4,000 sq m customs bonded facility has expanded the handler’s overall capacity at the freighter airport by 17% to 27,000 sq m.
The new facility opened on April 22 and is located in a second line just behind its existing two air cargo centres.
The handler said that the expansion would allow it to offer a wide range of handling services and take the pressure off the existing facilities.
“In a step aligned with Swissport’s global cargo strategy, the product portfolio now includes forwarder handling, e-commerce processing and sorting, import trucking, and specialised build-up/break-down operations for brokers, airlines, and others,” Swissport said.
Wilfried Jans, director of Swissport’s Cargo division at Liège Airport, said: “The additional capacity relieves our first-line air cargo warehouses, enhances our operational efficiency and provides flexibility to respond do short notice customer needs.
“The expansion also enables us to offer customised handling solutions, catering to the specific needs of forwarders and e-commerce providers, activities that do not necessitate first-line services. We are now even better prepared to meet and exceed the demands of our existing customers and to forge new partnerships.”
Swissport global cargo chair Dirk Goovaerts said that Liege had seen its cargo volumes increase by 13% year on year in 2023.
“Recognising the growing demand in e-commerce, particularly driven by air cargo movements out of Asia, Swissport has secured contracts with leading eCommerce players to handle cargo at its Liège facility,” he said.