FedEx looking at Memphis expansion
An expansion of the FedEx Express World Hub at Memphis International Airport is in the pipeline, reports The Commercial Appeal. The article continues:
FedEx filed a building permit application for a $28m addition to the hub on the north side of the airfield.
The project, which is still in a preliminary stage, follows expansion of the Indianapolis hub and construction of a new Greensboro, N.C., hub in the past couple of years.
FedEx’s most recent investment at the Memphis airport included a new hangar and office building supporting the company’s newest and largest aircraft, the Boeing 777 Freighter, which began arriving last fall.
FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said the company doesn’t disclose details about a project at such an early stage.
“It’s several months down the road,” he said. “We haven’t gotten any contracts approved yet.
“Until we really nail things down, we’re not going to be able to provide any details,” he said. “This is nothing more than an expansion of an existing facility.”
Airport Authority officials have been told only that FedEx plans to increase sorting capacity, president and CEO Larry Cox said. FedEx leases land for the hub from the authority.
The 3.45m-square-foot FedEx Express World Hub has a sorting capacity of 465,000 packages an hour. It typically processes about 1.5m packages a day.
Hub expansion would be good news for the Memphis area economy, which is stoked by the wages of about 33,000 FedEx employees. The company has more than 275,000 workers worldwide.
“Of course, any expansion of the FedEx hub is a plus for the aerotropolis concept and good news for the Memphis area,” said Jim Covington, Greater Memphis Chamber vice president of logistics and aerotropolis. Aerotropolis is an economic development initiative based on maximising airport-related assets.
