Lödige Industries has installed a new fully automated air cargo terminal at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.

The airport is located in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, and began operations last year. It handles up to 1.3 million tonnes of cargo and mail annually. This is set to grow to 2.8 million tonnes in a second expansion phase.

The new international cargo facility features two elevating transfer vehicles (ETVs) with a five-level, three-directional automated ULD storage and handling system for 227 20ft storage positions.

Germany-headquartered Lödige Industries has also supplied Sichuan Airport Group with equipment for the airport’s domestic cargo terminal as well as for a special warehouse for hazardous goods and an express distribution centre. It also includes an international export goods supervision warehouse. In total the contract provides ULD and pallet handling equipment for more than 83,000sq m of cargo facilities.

“Chengdu Tianfu has been one of the leading airports since the beginning of its operation and is in the process of becoming an integrated international transport hub connecting China with Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia,” commented a spokesperson for the construction commanding department of Chengdu Airport Group.

“Therefore, it was particularly important for us in the cargo area to get a state-of-the-art, efficient and absolutely reliable system that will grow with us in the coming years and offer us excellent throughput and turnaround times. Lödige Industries has an excellent reputation in the sector and has also proven its know-how in our joint project.”

Lödige Industries’ managing director of for the Asia Pacific region and Australia Nicholas Tripptree said: “We are convinced that with the fully automated, highly modern and scalable terminal, Tianfu Airport in Chengdu is optimally prepared for future growth and can easily meet its high standards and its role as a major air cargo location and international hub at all times.”