CAS sees cool-chain benefits from MIA expansion

Since Consolidated Aviation Services (CAS) doubled the size of its cool-chain facilities at Miami International Airport (MIA) in 2014, CAS said it has already seen a return on its US$2.5 million investment, with throughput climbing to 70,000 tonnes in the first nine months of 2015 – a 400 percent increase on its volumes before the expansion.

Even before MIA was certified as only the second airport in the world to gain certification under IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators for Pharmaceutical Handling (CEIV-Pharma), CAS was busy adding a new 18,000-square-foot cooler alongside its existing 12,000-square-foot perishables building that opened in 2009.

With its 16-foot-wide airside doors, the building can handle up to 90 ULDs at one time to expedite shipment. The new facility also has a refrigerated dock to accommodate trucks within a temperature-controlled environment. Additionally, CAS added a new agriculture inspection facility and walk-in freezer.

The new cooler handles a wide variety of perishables including fresh-cut flowers from Colombia and Ecuador; fresh salmon and trout from Chile; asparagus from Peru; and other fruits and vegetables from various origin points in Latin America and the Caribbean. Each of these commodities can be stored in multiple chambers that can maintain a specific range of cool temperatures.

MIA handles 85 percent of all perishable air imports in the U.S. and 80 percent of the country’s perishable air exports. This adds up to more than 720,000 tons of fresh fish, vegetables, fruit and flowers per year for the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia. CAS also provides dedicated perishable handling services for American Airlines and IAG Cargo.