New Cargo Center at BER: Hub function enables rapid distribution throughout Europe
Cargo Center space handed over to tenants / Short routes for goods, too / Air freight on course for growth in the capital region
In time for the opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt on 3 June 2012, the new Cargo Center of investor Dietz AG was today handed over to customers. The Cargo Center is specially designed to handle cargo carried by passenger aircraft. On average, 3,000 tonnes of coloaded freight are carried per year per long-haul route. Expanding the hub function at BER also enables rapid distribution throughout Europe. The concept of short routes at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt applies not only to passengers, but to goods, too. The optimum location of the Cargo Center right next to the parking positions of passenger aircraft guarantees fast cargo transfer.
- A modularly expandable Cargo Center for coloaded freight
The new Cargo Center at Berlin Brandenburg Airport has a starting capacity of around 100,000 tonnes of cargo per year and can be expanded in modules, as required. The first module of the Cargo Center has a handling area of 12,000 m², including a refrigeration centre for up to 120 EURO pallets in two temperature zones. The two cargo handling companies Wisag Cargo Service and Swissport Cargo Service guarantee the fast and secure handling of freight on competitive terms. The authorities (customs, border veterinary service and plant health control), forwarding agents and airlines are housed in 7,000 m2 of office space above the ramp area.
- Express freight in the north
Express services and cargo charter flights will continue to be handled by the Express Center in the north of the new airport. The Crisis Response Centre of the German Red Cross is also located here, providing rapid assistance in disaster relief operations worldwide.
- Air freight on course for growth in the capital region
Just last year, the existing cargo facilities at the Berlin airports Tegel and Schönefeld handled around 75,000 tonnes of air freight. This was primarily due to the continued strong growth in belly freight on intercontinental flights. Be it turbines from Rolls-Royce or Siemens, motorbikes from BMW or pharmaceutical products from Bayer Healthcare – the amount of cargo handled in 2011 was 17 per cent more than in the previous year and thus three times the national average in Germany.