The oft-delayed, US$55 million aircargo expansion plan at Anchorage’s international airport is about to start.

The project involves building a service ramp with spaces for seven aircraft and a 29,000-square-foot building to house de-icing rigs, cargo-loading and hauling gear, spare parts and other equipment used to service freighters that call at the airport.

Anchorage Global Logistics Airpark Development Inc. has been planning the project for six years.

The company, backed by private investors, faced a series of planning, permitting and other delays as it worked through the regulatory, environmental, legal and other issues that projects of this type often face.