Global No.1 Air Cargo Service Company 'Swissport' Moves into TK New Airport Cargo Terminal

Promise to Build Commercial Liquefied Gas Terminal

Governor Lee Cheol-woo and CEO Kim Il-hong Sign Agreement

Gyeongbuk Province has signed an agreement with Swissport, a ground handling company participating in the operation of the only commercial freight terminal in Korea, to build and operate the commercial freight terminal and promote the successful early settlement of Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport.

On the 8th at 2 p.m., Gyeongbuk Province held a business agreement ceremony at the provincial office attended by Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, and Kim Il-hong, CEO of Swissport Korea, to activate air logistics at Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport.

The planned site for TK New Airport.

Gyeongbuk Province and Swissport Korea will mutually cooperate in building a commercial freight terminal within Gyeongbuk Province, moving into the cargo terminal at Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport, fostering and revitalizing the Gyeongbuk air logistics industry, and sharing information and promotional activities between the two organizations.

According to the agreement, Gyeongbuk Province will cooperate by establishing and implementing policies to activate air logistics, providing administrative support for the construction of the commercial freight terminal, and providing land for Swissport Korea at the cargo terminal.

Swissport Korea will commit to building the commercial freight terminal within Gyeongbuk Province, moving into the cargo terminal at Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport (required area: 9,900㎡), and providing consulting and advisory services related to logistics infrastructure.

Gyeongbuk Province predicts that once Swissport builds the commercial freight terminal within the province and moves into the cargo terminal at Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport, air cargo volume will be stably secured.

Gyeongbuk Province expects that this business agreement will serve as a catalyst for developing Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport into an economic logistics airport by leveraging Swissport Korea’s know-how in operating commercial freight terminals and building air cargo infrastructure.

Swissport Korea is the Korean branch of Swissport, a global No.1 ground handling company headquartered in Switzerland, providing air cargo services at 287 airports in 45 countries worldwide.

Swissport has shown great interest in the potential of the Korean market and plans to increase its air cargo market share in Korea through this agreement with Gyeongbuk.

When Swissport Korea moves into the cargo terminal at the airport with a scale of about 3,000 pyeong (approximately 9,917㎡), it is expected to handle about 150,000 tons of cargo annually, which will contribute to the early success of Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport.

Kim Il-hong, CEO of Swissport Korea, said, “With the opening of Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport, significant changes are expected in the air logistics system centered on Incheon Airport, and through this agreement, Swissport Korea hopes to lead those changes.”

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “This business agreement ceremony with Swissport Korea is an important occasion to advance the air logistics trend in Korea and Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport through the operation of the commercial freight terminal within the province. Gyeongbuk Province will strive to develop Daegu Gyeongbuk Airport as a global logistics hub airport by establishing the necessary infrastructure for companies from the logistics complex development stage and attracting businesses.”

A commercial freight terminal is a terminal operated by a company recognized by the government for its own security screening capabilities, separate from the cargo terminal. It mainly loads packaged finished products such as electronics, TVs, and mobile phones onto cargo planes. When cargo has undergone security screening at the commercial freight terminal, it can be transported directly by plane without additional security checks, offering the advantage of faster processing speed.

In places like Hong Kong and Europe, this method of air logistics processing is so common that 70% of cargo handling volume is conducted through such terminals.

In Korea, Korea City Air Terminal and Swissport Korea formed a joint venture and were the only ones approved as commercial freight operators in 2019, currently operating a commercial freight terminal.