Chicago Rockford Airport completes 95% of $50M cargo expansion

Chicago Rockford International Airport has completed 95% of its $50 million cargo expansion project and will soon implement the Air Cargo Community System from technology solutions provider Kale Logistics . Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) announced its partnership with Kale in September. The airport expects the Air Cargo Community System (ACCS) to “go live in June of this year,” Zack Oakley , deputy director of operations and planning at RFD, told Air Cargo Next . “The ACCS will allow RFD to create partnerships with air carriers, shippers, forwarders and other airports — and offer data and logistics corridors. This will allow for transparency, visibility and [the] highest levels of security throughout the movement of the shipments. “This movement toward digitalization is one that air cargo desperately needs,” he added. RFD said it has invested more than $225 million in infrastructure improvements and facilities in the past few years and is looking to grow its footprint and prominence. As congestion continues to plague O’Hare International Airport (ORD) 65 miles to the east, RFD is emerging as a popular option, leading UPS and Amazon Air to construct facilities there in the past few years. “RFD users are able meet their clients’ needs faster and more cost effectively than traditional access points in the Midwest,” Oakley said. Expanding cargo ops The cargo expansion project includes a recently completed 90,000-square-foot international cargo center already in use; a 100,000-square-foot international cargo facility; a new airplane ramp to accommodate six 747 aircraft; and a new road. [caption id="attachment_57133929" align="alignright" width="300"] RFD, above, has nearly completed a $50 million cargo expansion project. (Photo/Rockford Airport)[/caption] “The last thing that we are working on is the new entrance roadway, which just recommenced construction this week and should be complete by June 1,” Oakley said. RFD did not have robust cargo operations pre-pandemic but has been growing them since then, Oakley said. In 2018, RFD “had occasional charters but nothing long term and no consistent frequency,” he said, with total volume around 9,072 tonnes annually. “Since 2018, we have seen our international freight grow to about [90,718 tonnes] annually — all while our domestic volumes have risen as well, which brings us to about [476,272 tonnes] in total,” Oakley said. “While the air cargo industry as a whole is experiencing a lull, we, like others, are expecting it to pick back up later in the year. We expect the international freight to grow from the [90,718 tonnes] we saw in 2022 to over [181,437 tonnes] in the next few years. We are in the process of planning future expansions to continue to grow from there as well.” With the cargo expansion project 95% complete, RFD is seeing benefits. Three airside warehouses are fully leased. “RFD has been able to dramatically improve the efficiency and capabilities of the international freight operators utilizing [our] international cargo center,” Oakley said. “Aircraft operators save a minimum of an hour of operating time on both arrival and departure by utilizing RFD vs. traditional large passenger hubs. This savings is both financial and environmental, which creates a positive impact to the balance sheet as well as the sustainability goals of the industry.”

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