City council agreed to go ahead with a further study concerning the proposed air cargo village at Windsor International Airport on Monday. This is one topic of local news that I haven’t followed too closely, mainly because I had no idea what an air cargo village was. I asked a friend, and he had no idea either. I decided to look into it further.
A quick search for “air cargo village” on Google brings up a bunch of hits for the massive one in Dubai. Everything in Dubai is massive. They refer to their operation as a “hub”, a “city”, a “gateway”, and a “village”. All of these names are somewhat vague, putting a relatively pretty face on an ugly, industrial necessity. “Holding station” would be more apt, I think, but definitely doesn’t sound as progressive or modern.
But a holding station it is. The Dubai Cargo Gateway opened up in 1991 (those UAE-ites have always been forward-thinkers), and can handle 20 freighters a day. They have the facilities to unload and load a heavily laden 747 jet in 90 minutes, and they handle around 800,000 tonnes of cargo per year. In 2009, YQG only handled 161 tonnes of cargo, mainly agricultural products and car parts waiting to cross the border into the US.
The plan is to gradually work up to an air cargo “village”, handling up to 800,000 tonnes by the year 2034. But this only if Windsor beats out London in the race to build the “village”.
Mayor Francis traveled to Washington in December to discuss this opportunity with internationally connected business representatives, and the city has already spent $220,000 on a feasibility study. The next study, which will examine the costs of building the facilities needed for such a service, will cost another $300,000. Two-thirds of this money will come from the province, with the airport’s capital budget taking care of the remaining $100K.
The outlook for this project seems bright. It will create hundreds of jobs, and our proximity to the US, with a variety of travel arteries already in place, makes YQG an ideal location for an air cargo village. It will inject some money into the local economy, and the international spotlight might give the city a much needed confidence boost.
I’m sure there are opposing factors that I’m unaware of, including the environmental stress the increased air traffic will cause, the logistics of the increased air traffic, the affects on Windsorite’s health and the affect on our quality of life.
Then there’s the chance that it just won’t fly. With the economy in such a rough state, and with city government being the farce it is, this project might have a shadow looming over it. A good idea in theory does not always mean a successful endeavor. Especially if it’s poorly handled.
What do you think? Does the prospect of an air cargo facility at Windsor International Airport make sense?