Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and real estate company Crow Holdings, kicked off construction of MKE’s new state-of-the-art air cargo facility on Thursday, Feb. 27. The new facility aims to provide a more efficient alternative for businesses looking to avoid the congestion, delays, and higher costs associated with operating at Illinois airports.
The project will transform a significant portion of the former 440th Airlift Wing, now known as the MKE Regional Business Park, into a 337,000-square-foot air cargo facility featuring a dedicated air cargo building, a new Milwaukee County Highway Maintenance Facility to support both county and state transportation needs, and enhancements to adjacent taxiways to improve accessibility for wide-body cargo aircraft. The facility will have the capacity to accommodate five B747-400 aircraft at the same time and expects to generate over $1.3M in annual aircraft landing fees as well as over $1M in annual ground lease rents and fees.
The public-private project is intended to benefit Wisconsin businesses and consumers while also creating new jobs at the airport and generating demand for the redevelopment and revitalization of neighborhoods near it. The project also has the potential to attract new passenger airlines and destinations, as well as air cargo services, by lowering the overall operating cost for all airlines at MKE.
The new facility is projected to be completed in 2026.
