b'84 ANCCARGOFedEx Sorting Facility Burnishes Status of Anchorage Intl as a Global Cargo Hub BY KEN WYSOCKYOne of the busiest cargo airportsWith three runways longer than in the worldTed Stevens10,600 feet, ANC handled 51,352 cargo Anchorage International Airportlandings in 2023 (along with 5.7 million (ANC)now is even busier, thanks to apassengers). FedEx alone averages about nearly $200 million sorting facility for FedEx450 landings a month, Wassel notes.Express that opened there late last year. Brandon Tolbert, The approximately 42,000-square- vice president of foot facility further enhances the AlaskaProperties and airports stature as one of the mostFacilities for FedEx, popular cargo hubs anywhere, alongsays the new unit with the likes of Hong Kong Internationalload device cross-Airport, Memphis International Airport anddock facility at ANC FACTS&FIGURESShanghai Pudong International. allows the companyBRANDON TOLBERT Were numberto transfer containers Project: Cargo Sorting Facility more efficiently in a covered, controlled Location: Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl Airport, in AK four in the world forenvironment rather than exposed to cargo operations, Owner/Occupant: FedEx says ANC Deputyweather such as rain, sleet and snow. Facility Footprint: About 42,000 sq. ft. Director TrudyWhen the project was first announced Site: About 25 acres on north side of airport grounds Wassel. Cargo isin 2022, company officials highlighted Approx. Cost: $200 million very important to ourits importance then and in the future. Sitework & Concrete: Roger Hickel Contracting airport. It generatesTRUDY WASSEL Right now cargo is king, and we expect about 70% of ourthat trend to continue for some time, Design/Build Consultant: Legacy Building Solutions annual revenue. said Richard Smith, president of FedEx, Building Features: Tension fabric structure with steelLast year (2023), cargo operationsAmericas at the time. Alaska and, in frame; flexibility to disassemble & relocate; eaves to shedparticular, Anchorage are only growing in snow away from building; designed to withstand high winds,generated slightly more than $106 million heavy snowfall & seismic activity in revenue for the state-owned airport. Theimportance over time.Preliminary Sitework: June-Aug. 2023 3.4 million tons of goods it handled wasIts new sorting facility, located on the Facility Construction: Sept.-Nov. 2023 slightly below its record throughput of 3.6north side of ANC, was completed toward Key Benefits: Increased aircraft traffic & airport revenue;million tons, set in 2021.the end of 2023. And Smiths reference enhanced reputation as global cargo hub to more growth is already bearing out. September 2024AirportImprovement.com'