$15m cargo facility opens; Temperature-controlled area boasts almost 40,000 square feet of space

The Chronicle-Herald
Business, Saturday, June 5, 2010, p. C1

Bill Power Staff Reporter

The huge temperature-controlled portion of the new Gateway Facilities ULC cargo facility at the Halifax airport can handle up to four tractor- trailers at a time.

And this capacity has enormous implications for importers and exporters of perishable products, business partner Steven Christiansen said Friday at the official opening of the $15-million complex.

"We've already got a couple of 767 (air freighters) coming in each week, picking up Nova Scotia seafood to take to Belgium, and we're currently looking into the possibilities of bringing in fresh produce from California and then returning with seafood, so you can see there are huge possibilities," he said in an interview.

Doug McRae, the other partner, said the complex, near the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, fills a major void in the Atlantic regional supply chain.

"This is the largest facility of its kind north of Miami. You have to go to Los Angeles or Miami to find this amount of refrigerated space next to a runway."

The multi-tenant facility boasts almost 40,000 square feet of cargo space.

However, the temperature-controlled portion received most of the attention at the official opening. The complex has been operating since January.

FedEx Express, Worldwide Perishables and WestJet are already operating out of portions of the complex at a site adjacent to Highway 102.

Some of the largest commercial freighters can be accommodated at cargo facility, and cargo can moved from the chilled space to aircraft in less than two minutes.

The project was a joint venture of Gateway Facilities and Halifax International Airport Authority.

"This facility is unique on the Eastern seaboard as it provides international carriers with refrigerated air cargo space adjacent to (the loading area)," said Tom Ruth, president and CEO of the airport authority.

He said the market for high-value goods moving over Halifax is projected to double over the next 15 years.