New Delhi, Feb 10 : Noida International Airport (NIA) has selected Air India SATS (AISATS), a leading organisation in the cargo and logistics sector, to develop a multi-modal cargo hub (MMCH) at the airport. Spanning across 80 acres of land, the upcoming cargo hub will provide quick, convenient and intermodal connectivity to and from manufacturing hubs in the country. The cargo and logistics infrastructure and ecosystem will cater to a differentiated catchment and several upcoming industrial clusters in NCR and Uttar Pradesh, creating cargo gateway for Northern India. The MMCH will comprise an Integrated Cargo Terminal combined with an Integrated Warehousing and Logistics Zone. This unique logistics zone will offer a transhipment centre, as well as a warehouse zone for freight forwarders and integrators. The MMCH will also provide for transportation facilities to support road-to-road, road-to-air, and air-to-road movements. Overall, the infrastructure at Noida International Airport's MMCH is focussed on efficiency, scalability, seamless process flows as well as common digital infrastructure and systems. Christoph Schnellmann, Chief Executive Officer, Noida International Airport, said, "We are convinced that our novel approach to planning and developing a multi-modal cargo hub with integrated facilities and seamless processes supports the cargo and logistics industry in North India. The Noida International Airport cargo hub will help Western Uttar Pradesh and the NCR fully develop its cargo and logistics potential. "The multi-modal cargo hub will bring predictability in operations and address existing logistics bottlenecks through digitisation and enabling seamless and fast processes. We are confident that Air India SATS (AISATS) is the perfect partner to bring this vision to life, owing to their global footprint and long-standing experience. We look forward to this strategic partnership with AISATS to make NIA a preferred cargo hub in Northern India." AISATS is a world-leader in ground- and cargo-handling and is present at five airports in India and handles 1,30,000 flights annually both in cargo- and ground-handling. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Air India SATS, said, "We are excited to partner with Noida International Airport to build a state-of-the-art, modern, and efficient cargo infrastructure, by making the best use of technology. India is envisioned to become the next logistics hub for the world and the government is taking necessary measures to make logistics more efficient and globally competitive. "We are aiming to develop world-class infrastructure to deliver a seamless, best-in-class cargo experience for all stakeholders. Catering to a large catchment area with a huge growth potential owing to multimodal connectivity, we are certain that this multi-modal cargo hub will truly become the gateway to North India." Zurich Airport International AG won the bid to develop Noida International Airport in 2019 and has already achieved various milestones towards the development of the airport. These include the concession agreement with the Government of UP, shareholder and state support agreements, masterplan and development plan, financial close, and the selection of a concessionaire to design, build and operate a fuel farm. The concession period officially commenced from October 1, 2021. After the award of two EPC contracts to Tata Projects last year, the first phase of the airport is on track to open in 2024. /IANS