A.P. Moller-Maersk has opened a new 12,000 m² air freight import/export gateway near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which provides direct planeside recovery and quick unit load device (ULD) transfers.
The facility in the United States West Coast will expand Maersk’s growing North American network of air cargo gateways, which includes Atlanta and Chicago, both of which opened in the previous year.
The new facility is about 15 miles from Los Angeles International Airport and less than nine miles from the Port of Long Beach. Customs brokerage, commercial sales, and freight activities such as LCL transload will be carried out on-site.
This location is a Container Freight Station (CFS) bonded by US Customs and a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Certified Cargo Screening Facility (CCSF).
The facility is set to become a Free Trade Zone in 2024, allowing it to benefit from less expensive fees, fewer processing costs, and speedier product movement.
“Our new Los Angeles air hub positions Maersk for years of growth. LA is a self-managed air facility that has tripled our access to capacity on the U.S. West Coast. Our customers will benefit from higher service levels and greater warehouse capacity,” stated John Wetherell, regional head of Air Freight, North America.
Furthermore, the Los Angeles facility is the latest move in Maersk’s North American air freight capacity development initiative, which spans important cargo entry places.
The increased capacity provides for greater supply chain integration and a greater ability to handle seasonal peaks as well as market-driven volume rises for new product launches.