With 24 hour, seven-day-a-week access and a growth strategy focused on all things cargo Liege Airport (LGG) is well on track to becoming one of Europe’s top three cargo airports.
Leading the charge for the airport is the Euro $500 million ($880 million AUD) investment into CargoLand.
CargoLand is described by the airport marketing as a project that will “redefine air cargo handling on all levels — digital, equipment, scope, size, multimodal and sustainable”.
CargoLand is set for completion in 2040.
LGG is currently Europe’s fifth largest cargo airport. CargoLand’s planned digital community, LGG Connect, marks the first step toward a new unity among airport partners, built around the motto: “Support, Share, Grow.”
LGG’s vision is to bring together and facilitate cooperation between all air cargo stakeholders at the airport (airline, handlers, forwarders, logistics service providers, public entities, and LGG).
LGG’s Head of Commercial Cargo & Logistics, Frederic Brun, says the project is building unity among airport partners to make LGG one of the go-to cargo airports in Europe.
“We have considered every detail within the supply chain to ensure that CargoLand delivers the ultimate in infrastructure and digital solutions to enable the smoothest and fastest cargo handling and turnaround times,” Brun says.
“We’re adding magic to cargo handling with CargoLand and are confident that it will deliver beyond expectations.
“After all, we are within a one-day truck drive to 75 per cent of European GDP centres, and we will be strengthening our links to rail, road, and sea, maximising on our unique geographical qualities.
“Seamless multimodal integration will play a major role in CargoLand.”
CargoLand will see 90 hectares dedicated to logistics developments, of that, 24 hectares are available for office development.
There will be a 38,000 m² first line warehouse constructed to support long-term growth, a 120,000 m², e-commerce and a 180,000 m² landside warehouse will complement the set-up, ensuring fast onforwarding for last-mile deliveries, and smooth second-line handling processes.
The airport is also planning 15 new parking stands for GSE, and an own MRO hangar to speed up any aircraft checks or services.
LGG Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Torsten Wefers, says the airport is aiming to be front of mind for anyone looking to move cargo in Europer.
“That is the vision we have been working towards – that whenever people need to send freight to and from Europe, LGG’s fully sustainable CargoLand is the first place they think of,” Wefers says.
“From MRO to e-commerce, pharma and perishables, to express cargo, CargoLand offers commodity-specific, tailored cargo processes based on advanced technology, whether it is strong digital tracking of shipments or GSE, optimum route planning, or real-time cargo movement management.
CargoLand will deliver a success and customer-oriented commercial approach that will leave a lasting imprint on the European logistics landscape.”
The latest data released by Liege Airport shows in the first three months of 2025, the airport handled 296,188 tons of cargo, up 5.6 per cent on the same period in 2024 (280,478 tons). In terms of movements, 6,772 cargo flights were operated, up 6.2 per cent on the first quarter of 2024.
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