YVR in early stages of planning new cargo facility

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is in the early stages of planning to develop about 44 acres of land that will be the foundation of a new “modern cargo and logistics facility.”

Brock Penner, manager of corporate communications at YVR, told Air Cargo World that the airport is still “undergoing commercial negotiations with the project proponent,” and that it’s too early to discuss details about the cargo facility’s features and completion timeline. However, the project is scheduled to begin sometime in 2019.

“Efforts to-date have been on community consultation for the ‘buffer zone’ between the nearby community of Burkeville and the project site, as we’ll need to do some remediation work to that area before construction on this project can begin,” he said.

The project has met some pushback from the community, which is concerned about the facility’s proximity to residential neighborhoods. Part of YVR’s plan is to add an “improved greenspace corridor” to address community concerns that will act as a buffer between the project and nearby homes.

It would appear that YVR is striving to grow its reputation as an emerging cargo hub on the North American West Coast. The airport released its 2018 traffic results this week, in which it recorded transporting 338,000 tonnes of cargo, representing an increasing of 8 percent in total cargo traffic, compared to 2017. CargoJet, Cathay Pacific, UPS, DHL Express, and FedEx are the hub’s main cargo carriers.

At present, its existing cargo accommodations, which it calls Cargo Village, contains “more than a million square feet of cargo buildings and warehouse space,” which translates to about 23 acres – about half of the acreage of the proposed project’s grounds.