The Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) has announced plans to develop a new air cargo pharmaceutical handling facility at Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK).
The roughly $1.5 million project is being assisted with a $600,000 JobsOhio grant as part of the Ohio Site Inventory Program.
“With the addition of this specialized product handling capability, we are diversifying our growing portfolio of services and further establishing Rickenbacker International Airport as a global gateway,” said Joseph R. Nardone, President & CEO of CRAA.
“We are grateful to JobsOhio and One Columbus for the support, and for recognizing Rickenbacker’s pharmaceutical handling facility as an asset that will contribute to the long-term prosperity of our region and state.”
Said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio President & CEO: “Rickenbacker International Airport’s new pharmaceutical handling facility will play a critical role in bolstering the U.S. supply chain.”
“The newly renovated air cargo terminal space will include the latest advancements in cold-storage technology that are essential to distributing vaccines, ensuring Rickenbacker will continue to be a global asset to the Columbus Region.”
The grant will help support the redevelopment of existing air cargo terminal space into a temperature-controlled pharmaceutical handling facility serving partner airlines, forwarders and pharma customers.
Located at Air Cargo Terminal 1 (7200 Alum Creek Drive), the 9,600 square foot warehouse will be the first dedicated handling facility for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical air cargo shipments in Ohio.
The facility will have the capabilities to handle pharmaceutical and life-sciences products like vaccines and therapeutics that require cold storage. The demand for these types of facilities has been steadily on the rise as drug companies develop diverse new treatments.
The new facility further enhances Rickenbacker’s reputation as a premier cargo airport, which already boasts unrivaled handling of general cargo commodities (fashion, retail, textiles, electronics, automobile parts, etc.) as well as live animal handling.
The facility will include:
- Acceptance, holding and processing zone kept at controlled room temperature (CRT) of 15-25°C (59-77°F)
- A cold storage zone kept at 2-8°C (35-46°F)
- Office and support area, including space for US Customs and FDA operations
- The new facility is expected to open in the third quarter of 2021. The project is open to construction bids at ColumbusAirports.com.
