Ongoing US congestion encourages smaller airports to tap cargo potential

Congestion issues surrounding major U.S. airports like Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) have opened new cargo opportunities for smaller, regional airports to capture the overflow and mitigate slowdowns. [caption id="attachment_95700" align="alignright" width="346"] Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Airport[/caption] “It’s become a real concern with these larger airports and the congestion they have … I’m not sure how it will be resolved, but it’s going to open the opportunity for some of these smaller airports,” Gary Pippin, senior vice president at U.S.-based Trinity Logistics, told Air Cargo World. “If [small airports] really want to get into the game [and are] near these larger cities, just start bringing in some of these freighters — now is the time to do it because the larger airports are just not moving their freight fast enough. ” Trinity currently has cargo operations out of Rickenbacker (LCK) and is looking for similar alternative solutions that still offer quick turnaround times for cargo, Pippin said. In turn, there remain huge cargo opportunities for smaller airports, he added. Considering the influx of chartered aircraft due to the capacity crunch, charter brokers like Air Partner have also opted to avoid congested airports and instead often operate flights into secondary airports, Jack Burt, vice president of U.S. freight at U.K.-based aircraft charter company Air Partner, told Air Cargo World . In the last 18 months, Air Partner has operated charters into (LCK), Rockford (RFD) and Pittsburgh (PIT) to avoid regional congestion, he added. PIT is one of many small, regional airports aiming to become an international cargo logistics center. In July, PIT saw a 39.8% increase in airfreight compared to the same month in 2020, according to the airport’s latest traffic data. Compared to the same month in 2019, PIT saw a 31.7% increase in cargo activity in July. “What we want to do is make sure that we are an airport that is known by freight forwarders and shippers for the ease of use, the efficiency and the speed at which we move cargo,” Bryan Dietz, vice president of air service development at PIT, told Air Cargo World earlier this year . “We want to be very aggressive about making sure that Asia, Europe and any of these markets that have a need for speed, that we’re here to be part of that solution for them.” PIT has been expanding its cargo portfolio over the past year, welcoming Finnair Cargo in April and Amazon Air in May. More recently, Cathay Pacific Airways began operating twice-weekly charter services between Southeast Asia and PIT on behalf of Hong Kong-based forwarder Unique Logistics. Meanwhile in June, PIT partnered with Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) to better streamline the air cargo supply chain, Dietz said. “If we can emulate what we do with forwarders and shippers and do that with airports, it can only help make the supply chain that much stronger.” Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids is another regional airport building its cargo operations to better serve nearby e-commerce and manufacturing needs, starting operations at its new UPS airfreight facility in June. Meanwhile, some airports are beginning the process of launching airfreight operations for the first time, including Texarkana Regional Airport (TXK) in Arkansas and Louisiana’s Chennault International Airport (CWF) .

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