The HKD5.5 billion ($707.4 million) Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal features operational and environmental features. The facility has been designed to increase the air cargo handling capacity of the airport by nearly 50% to 7.4 million tonnes per year.
In March 2008, the Airport Authority awarded Cathay Pacific Services Ltd (CPSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the airline, the franchise to invest in, design, construct and operate the new air cargo terminal at HKIA under a 20-year agreement. The facility, scheduled to begin operations in early 2013, will occupy a site of around 10 hectares in the airport’s cargo area.
The terminal is being designed for an annual air cargo throughput of 2.6 million tonnes and will help boost the efficiency and competitiveness of the Hong Kong air cargo hub. At the heart of the cargo terminal is a HKD1.4 billion ($180 million) mechanical handling system (MHS), which will be the most advanced in the world till date.
The new Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal will be one of the most advanced in the world with a number of sophisticated operational and environmental features. The efficient design of the terminal, coupled with the use of advanced technology, will enable forwarders and shippers to enjoy a reduced cut-off time for pre-packed export deliveries. Imported perishable cargo can be delivered to the consignee immediately after being towed to the cargo terminal from the aircraft.
The ground floor of the terminal will have two lanes with 57 airside interfaces for import and export operations. A fully mechanised buffering area will organise and pre-queue export cargo to allow a seamless, just-in-time operation run in cooperation with ramp-handling company HAS. The ground floor will feature a dedicated Quick Transshipment area, where transshipment cargo will be re-sorted according to its onward destination without the need to travel to higher floors of the terminal. This will enable a significant reduction in the minimum connection time.
Other cargo awaiting transit can be staged indoors, protecting consignments from adverse weather conditions. The cargo terminal has two warehouse floors to handle import cargo or other non-palletized export shipment. Workstations will be organised in a way that allows workers to build up or breakdown units in the most efficient manner.
The terminal has been designed with environmental considerations in mind. The facility will use an advanced waste management system. Offices will utilise natural lighting to save energy, and cladding will help to regulate the temperature inside the building.
The contract for the construction of the main terminal building has been awarded to a Gammon-Hip Hing joint venture while the MHS will be provided by Siemens.
The airline was the largest private investor in the infrastructure of Hong Kong International Airport, including its state-of-the-art corporate headquarters at Cathay Pacific City. It has also significantly enlarged its fleet since 1997 and has announced plans to buy 36 new passenger aircraft valued at around HKD75 billion ($9.6 billion).
