By Benjamin Pham
Salt Lake City International Airport Unveils New Retail Screening Facility
Salt Lake City International Airport officially opened its brand new Central Receiving and Distribution Center (CRDC) on Aug. 17. Bradford Airport Logistics, a Houston-based management operations and supply chain company, will be in charge of operating it. The CRDC is expected to receive and handle goods delivered to the airport, where the staff will complete safety regulations and x-ray screening before piling the goods together for redistribution to restaurants and retail stores in the terminal.
“This facility will provide increased efficiency and safety, since third-party truck deliveries will no longer be made via the airfield,” Bill Wyatt, Executive Director, Salt Lake City Department of Airports said. “This reduced delivery truck traffic around aircraft and airport facilities is not only more secure but reduces emissions from weekly delivery trucks.”
According to Aviation Pros, the facility will also complement the Salt Lake City Mission’s initiative to donate the airport restaurants’ excess food to impoverished peoples in the community. The operations and supply chain company will check the storage and cooler daily to bring the food back to the CRDC for community distribution.
While major US carriers such as United, Delta and American continue to either temporarily close their airport lounges or open them with limited hours, the CRDC will allow airport officials to specifically meet the passengers’ travel demands in terms of food and retail within the new airport terminals, during the current aviation industry’s environment.
Conceptual rendering of the terminal interior once construction for new SLC is completed. (Photo: Salt Lake City International Airport)
Airport officials held a reception for the new $5.6 million, 22,000 square-foot structure on Aug.11. The facility will play a pivotal role in contributing to the airport’s ongoing construction. The unveiling of the CRDC comes after airport officials announced the first phase of the airport’s master plan to rebuild and renovate the terminals and facilities.
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the aviation industry, the renovation progress at Salt Lake City International Airport is not hindered.
The first phase is expected to open in September and includes an enhanced parking garage and central terminal as well as an improved portion of the South Concourse. A new portion of the North Concourse will open later in October. Additionally, the second phase of completing the remaining portion of the South and North concourses and the demolition of the existing, older concourses are expected to be completed in 2024.
Delta is the largest carrier at Salt Lake City International Airport, as the airport is one of the airline’s nine US hubs and a major gateway to the western US. The airline is currently experiencing different, transformative changes from the construction. For instance, Delta’s regional flights have been operating via hardstand operations since January until the first phase is completed.
The CRDC will play a significant role in improving the Atlanta-based carrier’s passengers’ experience as well, since the security screened food and retail items are expected to travel on a different route to get to the airport, minimizing the amount of airport traffic on the roads.
“Vendors can now take a unique route away from the traveling public and not co-mingle. So you get to the airport with a little more time, a lot less hassle and behind the scenes, those goods are coming in in a precise manner,” said Benjamin Richter the founder and chief executive of Bradford Airport Logistics.
In the meantime, once phase one is completed, Delta will receive six new international gates in the new concourse. The implementation of the CDRC to enhance the food and retail offerings in the terminals and the ongoing restoration will assist the airline in expanding its flight operations while attempting to attract more passengers to the airport.
Benjamin has had a love for aviation since a young age, growing up in Tampa with a strong interest in airplane models and playing with them. When he moved to the Washington, D.C. area, Benjamin took part in aviation photography for a couple of years at Gravelly Point and Dulles Airport, before dedicating planespotting to only when he traveled to the other airports. He is an avid, world traveler, having been able to reach 32 countries, yearning to explore and understand more cultures soon. Currently, Benjamin is an Air Transporation Management student at Arizona State University. He hopes to enter the airline industry to improve the passenger experience and loyalty programs while keeping up to how technology is being integrated into airports.