New UPS airfreight facility opens at Eastern Iowa Airport

UPS’ new 53,000-squre-foot airfreight facility at Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, was completed June 29, and is set to start operations today, marking a step forward in the airport’s larger plan to build out its cargo operations to better serve e-commerce and manufacturing needs in the region. [caption id="attachment_21843" align="alignright" width="465"] B747-8 freighter courtesy of UPS Airlines[/caption] CID reported 45% growth in its airfreight sector during the past five years and handled around 32,000 tonnes of cargo in 2020, representing around 50% of Iowa’s total air cargo volume as a state, Marty Lenss, airport director at CID, told Air Cargo World . “[Air cargo expansions have] been talked about for [more than] 10 years, and what really prompted things to move forward now was the growth that we’ve been experiencing in the last five years,” said Lenss. “In 2018, there were supplemental federal grant funds available that we were able to successfully compete for, and that launched the first phase, [which was] the relocation of UPS.” Prior to opening the new facility, UPS had leased approximately 7,000 square feet from the airport, which the shipping company will completely vacate before moving into the new building, said Lenss. While most UPS sorting was done manually on the ramp, the new three-story facility will utilize a more automated infrastructure, including conveyer belts, as well an increased number of truck bays, he added. “The whole e-commerce space is really rapidly growing, and because of our unique manufacturing, there’s always interesting freight coming through,” said Lenss. Iowa City’s heavy tech industry, Collins Aerospace, of Cedar Rapids, and agricultural manufacturing companies like John Deere and Kinze contribute to the region’s airfreight demand, said Lenns. He added that CID is close to several metropolitan areas, and can reach cities like Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Mo., and others within a day. “What we’ve been working toward is really a full cargo complex, which would include all of our cargo carriers being co-located on [the] common use apron,” said Lenss. FedEx has already been operating out of the area for years. While no agreement has yet been made, CID is currently in discussions with DHL to relocate to the area, a CID spokesperson told Air Cargo World . Currently, the airport’s three cargo carriers, UPS, DHL and FedEx, occupy approximately 170,000 square feet of facility space at the airport, said Lenss. While CID is currently focusing on domestic and regional connectivity, Lenss also noted the possibility of growing international air cargo operations as the airport has an active Foreign Trade Zone certificate and manages the Foreign Trade Zone for several counties around Eastern Iowa. The airport occupies approximately 3,100 acres, providing ample opportunity to extend the existing main runway as well as add a third runway, said Lenss. He further noted that CID will continue to identify cargo opportunities in the region, with the help of an air cargo consultant before making any further infrastructure investments.

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