SINGAPORE—The Narita International Airport Corporation (NAA) is building a new cargo terminal at its Tokyo airport.

The new cargo terminal at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) is being constructed  to increase handling capability at the hub, especially for pharmaceuticals and perishable foods.

When it is finished Cargo Building 8 will be leased to All Nippon Airways. It is expected to be ready by October 2024, at which point it will become the airline’s largest cargo terminal.

Spanning 656,000 ft.², including 409,028 ft.² of warehouse floor space, the two-story building will be consolidated with the adjacent Cargo Building 7.

ANA and NAA say in a joint statement that cargo moving between Asia and North America will be able to arrive and depart from the same warehouse, shortening the connection time between the two markets.

To reduce labor needs, the facility will deploy automated guided vehicles to improve the efficiency of cargo transfers and storage operations. Cargo on unit load devices (ULD) will meanwhile automatically be stored on multi-tier ULD racks.

Supporting the NAA Sustainable NRT 2050 Roadmap, the design has been certified as "Zero Energy Building Oriented" by the Japanese Environment Ministry. This certification refers to buildings with a total floor area of at least 107,639 ft.² that achieve energy savings of 40%, or at least 30% of the standard primary energy consumption.

Energy-saving measures include installing solar panels, improving insulation and reducing the need for air conditioning by enhancing air circulation through ceiling and pressure fans.