Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, in partnership with Lödige Industries, has started a project to extend and automate its perishables handling center at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to boost capacity and make temperature-controlled cargo handling activities more efficient.
The investment is to accommodate future growth in air freight volumes and to better utilize the existing building space at the facility. As part of the project, the dedicated air cargo business of the Air France KLM Martinair Group is rolling out an elevating transfer vehicle (ETV) system developed for automated storage and retrieval of unit load devices (ULDs) and pallets across several levels.
The new installation will help optimize use of available space for storage and improve the movement of cargo within the facility. The system should automate storage and retrieval operations to reduce manual handling and streamline internal cargo flows, as well as make more efficient use of existing capacity. This will also allow for uniform treatment procedures for temperature sensitive products stored in dedicated refrigerated spaces.
“The investment is an important step in strengthening the company’s cold-chain operations at Paris-CDG,” said Air France KLM Martinair Cargo’s project team. The automated storage solution is designed to help the operator manage growing volumes more efficiently, while improving cargo flows for shipments that require temperature controls.
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo is expanding and automating its temperature-controlled cargo storage facilities at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The installation will include a 10-foot wide edge elevating transfer vehicle serving 58 storage decks total. Seventeen of those decks will be in temperature-controlled areas, meaning the facility will have the right storage environment in place to handle perishables.
For Lödige Industries the project emphasizes the necessity of automation to meet the special operational requirements of cold chain logistics. The importance of automated storage systems is growing for air freight facilities, since reliability, good space efficiency and consistent handling procedures are particularly crucial when dealing with temperature-sensitive freight.
“The project shows how automation can support cargo operators to increase storage capacity and internal material flows while fulfilling the high requirements for temperature-controlled shipments,” said Björn Ussat, Director Airport Logistic Solutions at Lödige Industries. He added that the solution gives a scalable platform to build on for further automation of storage operations at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
Lödige Machine Warburg and Lödige Machine Romania are supplying the system. The installation is expected to be operational by the end of September 2027, strengthening Air France KLM Martinair Cargo’s efforts to increase its perishables handling capabilities and position its Paris-CDG facility for future cargo growth.
