WFS to operate Dube Tradeport terminal at new Durban airport

WORLDWIDE Flight Services (WFS) has won a five-year exclusive contract to operate the new Dube Tradeport Cargo Terminal at the new Durban airport in South Africa when it opens in May.

"The New International Airport at La Mercy clearly recognises the importance of providing world class cargo facilities for its airline and logistics customers," said WFS chief executive Olivier Bijaoui.

The new airport, 30 kilometres north of the city centre, is scheduled to open next May. It is three times larger than the city airport and will accommodate 7.5 million passengers annually.

A key feature of the new La Mercy airport is its 3.7 kilometre runway, enabling it to service the largest aircraft in the world, including the Airbus A380. The airport's passenger and cargo facilities have been designed to manage growth forecasts up to 2060.

Dube Tradeport is a public company established by the KwaZulu-Natal government and funded by the provincial economic development department.

The 15,800-square metre cargo terminal is expected to handle tens of thousands of tonnes of air cargo and express shipments in its first year of operation and has the long-term capacity to process up to two million tons a year.

The airport will also incorporate a dedicated trade zone for the freight forwarders, assemblers, distributors and manufacturers and an Agri Zone that provides greenhouses and post harvest facilities within the Dube Transport precinct for the specific production of high value perishables.

The general cargo area of the new Dube Tradeport Cargo Terminal is being equipped with a fully automated ETV system supported by the latest barcode processing technology. It also incorporates narrow aisle racking, forklifts, build beds, x-ray equipment, a fully equipped temperature controlled border inspection post (BIP) and a dedicated cool-chain storage area.

The terminal will also provide office facilities for customs, police, security and agriculture personnel. This is in addition to a separate freight forwarder village for cargo agents that will be linked to the new cargo terminal by an elevated conveyor system to reduce the number of trucks at the building's landside freight doors.

Said Dube TradePort CEO Rohan Persad: "We are very excited to enter into a partnership with WFS. This is the first multi-user cargo terminal in South Africa that has been planned with the customs authorities and intends offering users excellent cargo services off a new common user platform that will establish a new operating environment for airlines and freight forwarders."
 

Source: Schednet