Houston Airport System and Cabo Frio Airport ink air cargo ‘pipeline’ deal

Last week, Houston Airport System – which manages George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) – and Brazil’s Cabo Frio Airport (CFB) signed an agreement to create an air cargo “pipeline” between the airports, serving two of the largest oil, gas and energy clusters in the Americas. 

CFB is the first public airport now under private management in Brazil and is located in close proximity to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as the Campos and Santos Basins, where much of Brazil’s oil production is based.  

The partnership positions CFB as IAH’s gateway into Brazil and will serve as a starting point to develop business opportunities  between the airports. In 2018, more than 4,800 tonnes of cargo moved between Houston and Brazil, with a total value of US$496.3 million. The airports said they hope the agreement will attract carriers to schedule full freighter services between IAH and CFB, which will expand cargo flows between the airports. Further details of the agreement have yet to be announced. 

Houston Airport Systems said this is the latest step in its efforts to bolster growth in cargo operations at IAH. In 2018, IAH handled more than 500,000 tonnes of cargo for the full year. The airport also welcomed the Volga-Dnepr Group’s establishment on its premises. 

Moving forward, the deal could also expand CFB’s network of scheduled freighter services, which currently hosts cargo flights with LATAM Cargo to Amsterdam (AMS), Campinas (VCP) and Miami (MIA).