Air Canada Cargo handled more than 250,000 metric tonnes of freight at its Toronto Pearson International Airport terminal during the first 10 full months of operation on an upgraded control system built by Lödige Industries — and the carrier is now preparing the next phase of automation at the facility.

The upgraded system, implemented on 30 September 2025, runs on Lödige's Cargo Professional air cargo management software. It replaced the terminal's legacy controls, and cargo operations resumed just one hour after the transition began, according to the German materials-handling specialist. Around-the-clock maintenance services and remote monitoring through Lödige's Customer Care Center supported the cut-over.

The scale of the throughput figure matters for what comes next. The project integrated the terminal's programmable logic controllers and its unit load device (ULD) management system into a single data platform. Lödige says the unified architecture reduces manual data entry, helps prevent errors and gives operators greater visibility into terminal activity — claims that the 250,000-tonne first-year figure now has operational evidence behind, though Air Canada Cargo has not published comparative productivity data for the legacy system.

The control-system upgrade establishes the technical foundation for a second wave of investment. Planned equipment includes a new Elevating Transfer Vehicle (ETV) and a Mobile Transfer Device (MTD), both established components of automated cargo terminal design. In parallel, portions of the terminal are being prepared for a future Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), a significantly larger capital commitment that would mechanize ULD storage and retrieval.

Air Canada Cargo frames the equipment additions as a way to improve ULD handling, streamline material movement and increase operational flexibility at its main hub. Toronto Pearson serves as the carrier's principal cargo gateway, so gains in throughput capacity and dwell-time reduction translate directly into the network's ability to absorb fluctuating freight volumes without proportional increases in labour or floor space.

Jonathan Hardy, managing director of Lödige Industries North America, said completing the initial transition without disrupting ongoing cargo operations was an important milestone for the project. He added that the first year of operation has demonstrated the benefits of integrating software, controls, engineering and maintenance services into a unified system — a pitch that positions Lödige as a single-source supplier for the terminal's full automation stack rather than an equipment vendor alone.

For Air Canada Cargo, the sequencing reflects a common pattern in terminal modernization: replace the control layer first, prove data integration, then add mechanized equipment that depends on that layer. The one-hour resumption of operations during the September cut-over indicates the transition was planned to avoid the operational disruption that typically deters carriers from controlling-system replacements at live facilities.

The Toronto program also reflects a broader industry shift. Cargo operators across major hubs are moving toward integrated cargo management technology and automated material handling as they seek to improve efficiency and accommodate changing freight volumes — pressure that has intensified as e-commerce traffic reshapes throughput profiles and labour availability at ground-handling operations remains constrained.

The critical variable ahead is timing and scope of the ASRS. Lödige and Air Canada Cargo have not disclosed a delivery date, capacity figures or contract value for the planned ETV, MTD or storage system, so the second phase remains at the preparation stage rather than committed execution. What is flying today is the integrated control platform and its documented first-year throughput; what is promised is the hardware that will sit on top of it.