In a move that could greatly benefit any companies shipping into Miami, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners will invest a minimum of $400 million to construct a four-story Vertically Integrated Cargo Community (VICC) facility at Miami International Airport that will be the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. When completed, the new facility will increase the airport’s total cargo capacity by at least 50% or potentially up to two million tons annually. Scheduled for completion in 2029, the new facility will bring MIA’s total capacity to a minimum of 4.5 million tons of cargo and potentially 5 million tons, future-proofing America’s busiest international freight airport until the year 2041.
Approval for the project was announced on July 16 by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, District 7.
“With the construction of this unprecedented, state-of-the-art air cargo facility now on track, the sky is the limit for where MIA can lead the air cargo industry globally after consecutive record-breaking years in cargo growth since 2020,” commented Mayor Levine Cava.
The future VICC at MIA will be a nearly 800,000-square-foot facility on 11 acres of airport land, and will have a massive local economic impact: 8,500 new temporary jobs earning a total of $500 million in wages during five years of design and construction; 2,500 new permanent jobs earning $100 million post-construction; and a minimum of $512 million in rent and business revenue to Miami-Dade County’s Aviation Department over the 40 years of the agreement. Without the VICC, MIA would begin to reach capacity at three million tons of cargo annually. The airport is on pace for 2.9 million tons of cargo in 2024.
“For the past three and a half years, we have prioritized expanding our cargo capacity at MIA and ensuring reliable supply chain access for our residents. Today’s investment is transformative for Miami-Dade County. The VICC will significantly enhance our airport’s cargo capabilities and establish a new sustainable, resilient infrastructure benchmark. I am proud to support this visionary project, which will drive economic growth and solidify Miami-Dade’s position as a global hub for commerce,” said Raquel Regalado, Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 7.
In addition to its enormous impact on job creation and local business revenue, the VICC will be a sustainable, environmentally friendly facility with a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and a silver certification from Global Infrastructure Basel under SuRe standards for sustainability and resiliency.
