Atlas Air consolidates Miami operations in larger cargo facility 

Atlas Air, the largest operator of Boeing 747 cargo jets in the world, said Monday it will relocate to a larger operations base at Miami International Airport, enabling it to consolidate operations in one location with greater capacity for future international growth. 

Atlas Air is the largest cargo operator at the Miami airport, handling more than 500,000 tons of freight per year. 

The cargo airline will transition into the new facility on June 23, spokesperson Debbie Coffey said in an email. The building was previously occupied by another airport tenant. 

Atlas Air for years has operated from several cargo warehouses around the airport, but has outgrown them, she said.   

The move will enable Atlas to assume direct control over all warehouse functions and dedicated aircraft parking spaces adjacent to the facility, streamlining cargo handling and improving efficiency across the operation. It also allows Atlas to consolidate import and export functions in one purpose-built site, which will speed up transfers between customers and aircraft. 

The expanded facility includes a 124,000-square foot refrigerated room –  the largest on-airport cold storage space in North America – with direct ramp access to aircraft, Atlas said in a news release. The cooler will be used for pharmaceutical and perishable products.

The facility’s location on the airport perimeter is adjacent to several maintenance, repair and overhaul providers, which Atlas said will help reduce downtime for inspections and mechanical work.

“Having dedicated aircraft parking, warehousing, and a world-class airside-cooler will further enable us to deliver superior services to our customers,” CEO Michael Steen said. 

Miami is the seventh largest cargo gateway in the world and largest in the U.S., excluding the FedEx and UPS hubs and the refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska, and the primary U.S. connection to the Latin America market. 

Atlas has a large presence in South Florida with a flight training center and commercial marketing office in Miami. 

FreightWaves reported in August that Atlas Air also plans to invest in a large, dedicated operations base in Anchorage that would significantly expand its capacity to turn around aircraft moving between Asia and the United States. 

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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