Cobalt has advised Latvian national carrier AirBaltic on its agreement with UPB Nams for the construction of the Baltic Cargo Hub at the Riga Airport, as well as on the related agreements with Riga Airport and design and construction agreements.
According to the firm, "this state-of-the-art facility is set to become the largest dedicated air cargo handling center in the Baltics, allowing the handling of up to 45,000 tons of cargo annually, solidifying Riga Airport’s position as a leading air cargo hub. The facility will feature direct access to the apron, making cargo import, export, and transit processes quick and easy."
Spanning an area of 6,895 square meters, the hub will dedicate approximately 5,000 square meters to cargo handling facilities and around 2,000 square meters to office spaces and focuses on sustainability, aiming for a BREEAM certification. Project development is estimated at 12 months.
"The new Baltic Cargo Hub will be equipped with cutting-edge, semi-automatic cargo handling equipment – Material Handling System, including a mail sorter. These advancements will significantly improve handling efficiency for both belly cargo and dedicated cargo freighter aircraft. The hub is designed to have full special cargo handling capabilities with dedicated temperature-controlled rooms for pharmaceuticals and perishables, and premises for dangerous goods, live animals, and valuable shipments," Cobalt reported.
AirBaltic operates more than 100 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, and Tampere, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline’s route network in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region.
The Cobalt team was led by Managing Partner Dace Silava-Tomsone.