Brussels Airport will invest €70 million over the next three years to redevelop a large cargo area.
The airport's cargo zone has been developing steadily in recent years and this new work is to meet the growing demand for storage and handling space, plus the need to modernize several buildings. The redevelopment of the central area of the cargo zone and the provision of new buildings and offices will allow the airport to offer new partners and current operators warehouses and offices that are larger, more efficient, modern and sustainable.
“Accelerating the development of the cargo zone is one of the priorities within the new strategy of Brussels Airport," points out Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. “We want to further strengthen our position as a global cargo hub and develop the cargo area in a sustainable way in order to offer our logistics partners the most efficient infrastructure and operational processes.”
By the beginning of 2025, three new modern and sustainable buildings, including parking areas, will be opened in the heart of the Brussels Airport cargo zone, called Brucargo Central. After the development of Brucargo West, the new Animal Care and Inspection Centre two years ago, and the new Swissport Cargo building, this new announcement is to meet the growing demand for capacity.
The redevelopment of this 83,500m² central area will require the demolition of the eight obsolete buildings with work to start in the next few days, while the construction is to start at the end of 2023.
“Our cargo activities are growing steadily and our cargo area is constantly developing” continues Arnaud Feist. “The demand from current and future partners for storage and handling capacity is very high. Even if the cargo area of Brussels Airport is already very large, it is important to rethink and reorganise the spaces for more efficiency, but also and especially to modernise them. Sustainability plays a key role in this modernisation. Brussels Airport wants to improve the energy efficiency of its entire infrastructure, a strategy that applies far beyond the cargo area.”
The redevelopment of Brucargo Central will also improve and secure traffic streams and mobility to optimise operations. The new mobility scheme will improve safety and mobility for all users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
In 2021, 843,000 tonnes of cargo transited through Brussels Airport. These increasing volumes (+30% compared to 2020) clearly demonstrate the growing demand in air cargo transport, which was strengthened during the Covid crisis in the areas of pharmaceuticals and e-commerce. Brussels Airport's cargo zone consists of a large surface area of 130 hectares and 380,000m² of warehouses.
