A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday for a new 50,000 square foot cargo facility at the Edmonton International Airport (YEG). The project is a public-private partnership between the airport and Terracap Management Inc. Once completed it will front onto Apron VIII, allowing cargo to be moved between freight aircrafts and the warehouse. The airport says the facility will add capacity for time-sensitive freight, including e-commerce, perishables, pharmaceuticals, and aviation parts. “Cargo logistics have an exponential impact on the economy when you compare it to passenger flights,” airport president Myron Keehn told reporters on Thursday. “Imagine I’m a food producer. Today I’m shipping raw product, but now if I get access to market, I can make the product here instead of shipping raw product. “Create jobs in a facility for making food or medicines or any kind of good that’s made … and have access to global supply chains is critically important.” Keehn says the project is expected to be completed by next Labour Day. The Government of Canada committed $118 million through the National Trade Corridors Fund for the project.
