b'70 ORDCARGOThe long-term vision for cargo expansion on the northeast side spans 65 acrespunch list in 2024. ORD officially celebrated the final completion and includes 900,000 square feet of additional cargo capacity.in August 2024. Realterm turned over the 132,000-square-foot facility to Worldwide Flight Services, one of the largest air cargo logistics providers in the world and a leading provider of ground handling services.The new facility equips the company with 122,000 square feet of warehouse space and 10,000 square feet of office space. Airside, there is more than 200,000 square feet of ramp spaceenough to simultaneously fit two Group VI aircraft, such as Boeing 747s. Overall, the new ramp can accommodate up to a dozen jumbo freighters per day and process more than 100,000 metric tons of cargo per year.PHOTO: REALTERM The building subleased by Worldwide Flight Services features Three Phases a sophisticated cold chain storage facility that can be used for Cargo isnt a build it and they will come type of business,temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and food.Rose explains. It requires collaboration between airlines, cargoNavigating Challengeshandlers, freight forwarders and integrators to grow a successful cargo network. Phasing a cargo project is essential. You dontAll phases of the northeast cargo development reside on land want to flood the space too quickly. that once housed an old military base after World War II. After the military abandoned the base in the 1990s, the area was used for Ritter agrees, noting that the three phases of ORDs projectother purposes.were completed as demand/need arose. That meant Realterm had to empty and demolish all structures The first two phases were launched in 2008, after Realtermon the property before developing the site for a new facility. Then, was selected as the developer. Projects included: it had to convince companies already operating on the south 785,000 square feet of cargo warehouse and office spaceside of the airfield that cargo operations on the northeast side110,000+ square yards of apron pavementmade sense. 11 parking spots for 747-8sIn the cargo business, where every minute matters, usersramp services like power and fuelwere hesitant to move into a whole new area, Rose says. Thats2,200 feet of taxiway where phasing the project really helped. We had already provennew cargo access roadthat it would work, so by the time we moved forward with Phase III, we had several groups interested in the facility. relocating an existing roadway utility extensionsThough operations on the northeast side have expanded, Rod stresses the south side is still used for cargo, too. There180 truck dock positions is a large cargo ramp on the south side of the airfield with manytruck circulation area airline tenants, including Federal Express and United, he says. nearly 700 employee parking spaces With groundbreaking for Phase III occurring in 2021, the The first two phases opened in 2016 and 2017, respectively.project encountered challenges associated with the COVID-19 By 2019, the airport was already showing signs it was time forpandemic. Realterm had to navigate supply chain disruptions, Phase III. fluctuations in material prices, and logistical and shipping Growth in cargo tonnage has been impressive, up 20% fromchallenges.2019 and 10% more in 2023. In 2019, we handled just underBecause of our history with OHare, we were able to deliver 1.9 million tons, Ritter says. By 2023, we reached 2 milliona project where the airport and WFS (Worldwide Flight Services) tons, and we estimate this years total will hit 2.2 million. Thewere very happy, Rose says. There were construction issues growth is ongoing. Strengthening our cargo capabilities wasdue to COVID, so every project at that time had complications. crucial. This is a significant economic driver, not just for theBut because we have delivered projects at many airports, we airport but for the entire region. were comfortable finding solutions that worked for all parties.Cargo value was also up, reaching No. 1 in the nation, adds Ritter. During the pandemic, our cargo value even surpassedA Focus on Sustainabilitythe Port of Los Angeles. Today, our cargo value is around $300The project team targeted LEED Silver certification for the Phase billion annually, she reports. III cargo facility, and expects to receive it soon. The facility is equipped with solar panels, recycling areas, an on-site trash The third and final phase of the northeast cargo campuscompactor, LED lighting and charging stations for electric forklifts. opened for operations in 2023, and Realterm finished the final March | April 2025AirportImprovement.com'