UPS has announced the renovation and expansion of its Kansas city air operations, also known as an air gateway. The most visible part of the work will be expanding the ramp from two aircraft parking spots to five. The new ramp will be 534,000 sq ft.
“Unlike a car, pilots can’t see all around the aircraft, so we rely on a marshaller with illuminated wands to direct us into parking positions,” UPS 767 Captain Ken Hoke said. “A ‘wing walker’ also walks alongside each wing tip to keep us clear of obstacles like vehicles and pallets of cargo. If necessary, the marshaller will give us an emergency stop by crossing the wands over her head. For a 90-degree turn, I usually wait to start the turn until the line and marshaller are over my shoulder. Those side windows in the cockpit are really important for making tight turns. The delayed turn allows the plane to line up nicely on the centerline,” Hoke said.
In addition to the new ramp, UPS will also install new sorting equipment at the gateway, more than tripling package handling capacity to 5,000 packages per hour.
Construction in Kansas City is planned to begin in late October with completion in the fall of 2021.
Source: UPS
