While Brussels Airport Company is constructing the building, Swissport has signed a long-term lease and is investing millions in equipping the new facility. The building will consist of a 25,000 square metre warehouse, a material handling system, a four-storey office space and 3,620 square metres of cool storage facilities in the Swissport Pharma Centre.
Ambient pharma space (+15° to +25°C) will more than triple from 800 square metres to 2,620 square metres. Additionally, a 1,000 square metre cooling facility (+2° to +8°C) will be available. With its new end-to-end cool chain, Swissport hopes to grow its pharma business in Brussels and worldwide.
“Our new warehouse and the state-of-the-art Swissport Pharma Center will be the benchmark for modern and efficient air cargo and pharma logistics,” said Luzius Wirth, Executive Vice President Europe, Middle-East & Africa for Swissport. “The investment underlines our commitment to the Belgian market. In parallel we are working to improve the profitability of our Belgian business activities in order to create long-term job security for our staff.”
Construction of the new Swissport facility started in January 2019 and will take about two years to complete, with construction work already in full swing. The warehouse will be equipped with an automated Material Handling System, while landside it will feature 50 truck loading bays in a closed perimeter and a highly efficient acceptance zone. Airside there will be “speed gates” enabling timely logistics processes from the warehouse into the aircraft cargo hold.