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FedEx Express completes major expansion at Miami airport

Package, perishables benefit from extra capabilities

There will be less of these in the air going forward. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

FedEx Express said Tuesday it has completed a $72.2 million expansion of its air cargo hub at Miami International Airport, giving e-commerce and perishables shippers doing business in the Americas and Caribbean access to more capacity and capabilities.

The project adds more than 138,000 square feet to the main sort facility, bringing it to a total of more than 282,000 square feet. Enhancements include a new customs clearance area and a new 70,000-square-foot cold storage facility, the largest in the FedEx (NYSE: FDX) global network.

The expansion of the customs clearance area will help speed international operations. The refrigeration zone consists of multiple rooms with temperatures ranging from minus 13 degrees to 77 degrees Fahrenheit that can accommodate growing demand for perishable shipments such as flowers and food, as well as pharmaceuticals and therapeutics.

Miami is a major gateway for cut flowers, fruit and seafood from Latin America. 


“The expansion of our Miami hub better positions us to meet growing customer demand and efficiently move increased e-commerce volume through our vast network,” said Richard Smith, regional president of the Americas and executive vice president of global support, in a news release.

FedEx said that from 2019 to 2020, shipping volume through Miami grew by 31%. 

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.


Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com