SFO investing $300 m in next-gen automated air cargo terminal

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is advancing a major infrastructure overhaul, investing more than $300 million in a new, automated air cargo terminal to cement its position as a primary US West Coast logistics gateway. The airport has selected Germany-based cargo terminal technology specialist Lödige Industries to equip the 310,000-square-foot, two-storey facility with customised, high-throughput automated storage and retrieval systems. The technological centrepiece of the new layout will be three rail-guided Elevating Transfer Vehicles (ETVs) capable of moving Unit Load Devices (ULDs) both vertically and horizontally at the same time. Driven by the sustained boom in e-commerce and evolving global trade flows, the modernised terminal is scheduled for completion in Spring 2028, with full logistics operations expected to commence later that year to provide scalable, digitally connected handling for airlines and freight forwarders, according to a report.