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Air cargo and logistics hub as important future-oriented growth areas
Vienna Airport considers the further expansion of air cargo and the locating of logistics partners at the airport hub to be a crucial growth area of the future. The further development of the business location is only possible on the basis of efficient logistics flows. Four important steps are being taken for this purpose: the expansion of the Air Cargo Center, the new pharmaceutical hub, the locating of logistics centers such as Cargo Partner, DHL and other firms as well as the improvement and expansion of the transport infrastructure.
The airport is enlarging its cargo infrastructure and plans a new logistics center for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. About 13,000 m² was added to the Air Cargo Center along with the deployment of cutting edge technologies. In the future, strong emphasis will be placed on the new Pharma Handling Center. Moreover, Vienna Airport is focusing on sustainable growth. One of the country’s largest photovoltaic facilities covering an area of approx. 8,000 m² was installed on the roof of the state-of-the-art Air Cargo Center. The airport operating company Flughafen Wien AG is investing about € 17.9 million to expand its cargo capabilities.
Expansion of air cargo as a strategic business area
“Our good market position as an air cargo transshipment hub will be further strengthened thanks to the expansion of the Air Cargo Center. In particular, we can focus on a market niche with high standards on the basis of the future Pharma Handling Center and position ourselves through first-class expertise and an optimal infrastructure. Austria is an exporting country in the pharmaceutical industry, which is developing very well. We will support domestic pharmaceutical companies to generate growth by providing special, highly professional handling services”, says Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG, pleased with the developments.
“The fact that half the export production value of Lower Austrian industry i.e. products manufactured to the amount of € 8 billion is transported as cargo throughout the world via Vienna Airport underlines the airport’s essential role as a cargo transshipment hub. Further growth is expected in the years to come, especially due to the strong increase in e-commerce. Our own investments, especially the locating of logistics partners at the airport site such as cargo-partner, Kühne+Nagel and soon DHL contribute to exploiting this growth potential. DHL will set up a logistics center on an area of over 60,000 m² and create 500 new jobs. However, a decisive factor of success is expanding the transport and traffic infrastructure, for example realizing the Schwadorf-Fischamend bypass road project which goes by the western part of the airport fence as well as the Lobau Tunnel as a means of completing the motorway ring around Vienna”, states Günther Ofner, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.
Highly professional handling of pharmaceutical products
The new Pharma Handling Center featuring about 1,600 m² of space was set up in the recently enlarged Air Cargo Center. The facility works on the basis of a “box-in-box system”, which is a modular approach to secure different temperature ranges. A cold store with an area of 153 m² enables a temperature range of 2°-8°C, whereas another 1,415 m² of the cold storage facility can be temperature-controlled at a range of 15°-25°C. It is also vital to meet
various other requirements such as cooling on the airport apron by reefer trailers as well as docking stations for lorries. Vienna Airport will invest about € 1.9 million in the new Pharma Handling Center up until the autumn of 2018.
Air Caro Center enlarged by about 13,000 m²
In order to fulfil the requirements of growing air cargo volumes, the Air Cargo Center was extended by approx. 13,000 m² to include a multifunctional cargo hall with adjustable temperature ranges (15°-25°C), adjacent porch areas as well as a spacious loading yard. Direct access to the airport apron as well as modern technologies accelerate the process, guaranteeing the optimal integration of all involved partners along the process chain. The Air Cargo Center put into operation at the beginning of October is divided into three areas. In the future, the Pharma Handling Center will occupy part of the storage facility. Flughafen Wien AG has invested about € 16 million in the construction project.
Photovoltaic plant generates own electricity for the Air Cargo Center
Flughafen Wien AG is resolutely pressing ahead with the implementation of its sustainability strategy. The key role played by energy efficiency on the basis of renewable energy sources is underlined by the putting into operation of the airport’s third photovoltaic facility. This was installed on the roof of the Air Cargo Center. Covering an area of about 8,000 m², it is one of the largest photovoltaic plants in Austria. The nominal capacity of the 2,640 solar modules is 720 kWp, generating an annual output of about 750,000 kWh. The direct current produced by the photovoltaic facilities is converted into alternating current by inverters and subsequently fed directly into the Air Cargo to supply into entire energy needs. Any additional electricity generated is fed into the nearest transformer station and thus into the airport network. The fully automatic, self-generating natural electricity produces the entire amount of electricity required by the Air Cargo Center. The remaining production contributes to generating cold in the airport’s western central cooling plant.
Contact:
Press Office of Flughafen Wien AG
Peter Kleemann, Company Spokesman
Tel.: (+43-1-) 7007-23000
E-mail: p.kleemann@viennaairport.com
Website: www.viennaairport.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flughafenwien
Twitter: PeterKleemannVIE
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