Pangaean Ltd is planning to open a Distribution Centre for air-freighted produce, fruit and flowers at Manchester Airport in February 2007.
The airport’s route network has expanded rapidly in the last few years giving it a global reach through regular scheduled and chartered passenger flights and a fast-growing freighter network. Capacity has built up from North America, the subcontinent and the Far East and an increasing number of flights originate from southern Africa and South America.
Manchester has ambitious plans to develop cargo volumes from the current 150,000 tonnes a year and Pangaean Ltd is working with the airport to develop routes from produce supplying regions.
Pangaean director John Crofts told FPJ: “Our building will be in an excellent position, adjacent to the ground handling agents and customs. The Manchester Airport World Freight Centre is situated at Junction 6 of the M56. Distribution centres of all the major supermarket chains are very close allowing quick entry of goods into national distribution networks - for example Marks & Spencer at Crewe, Sainsbury’s at Haydock, Tesco at Middleton and Asda at Skelmersdale. Quick transfers by road to Ireland will be facilitated by excellent links to the ferry ports.”
In addition to unitised freight carried by wide-bodied, long-haul aircraft, the facility will specialise in handling loose freight. “This will allow the customer to import goods from produce growing areas where narrow bodied aircraft are used such as Spain, the Canary Islands and Turkey,” Crofts said.
“Our aim is to make importation by air as easy as possible for the customer by providing a one-stop-shop of services. We recognise speed to market to maximise shelf life is paramount for these products and all our operations will be geared to moving the customer’s goods quickly and smoothly through the supply chain.
“If required we will put the customer in touch with freight forwarders and arrange road transport to the final destination. Services offered will be tailored to customer needs from making customs entries, to break bulk of aircraft containers, to the labelling and sorting of retail units into supermarket trays - allowing transport direct to the RDC.
“The building will be kept at a constant 4°C and there will be a blast chiller to remove any excess heat acquired in transit. We will also have BRC accreditation,” he said.
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