GSP eyes secondary freighter airport network

GREER, S.C. — Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is positioning itself as a flexible, uncongested bridge for freighter traffic between Canada and Latin America. The airport, which regularly sees carrying automotive parts, views its smaller size as an opportunity to occupy a niche that blends bespoke handling solutions, a decongested airfield and connections to other regional gateways including Hahn, Germany (HHN), Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tom Tyra told Cargo Facts during a recent site visit. [caption id="attachment_57298614" align="aligncenter" width="1705"] GSP regularly sees large-widebody freighter services. (Courtesy/Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport)[/caption] As a secondary airport, “we can give the value to those shippers to say, ‘Look at this: You’re the only customer on the ground at that time. You have tons of space to work your operation, and we can do things a little more custom than you could at a larger airport,’” Tyra said. GSP, which covers over 3,500 acres, saw a total cargo throughput of 58,598 tonnes in 2025, an 11.6% YoY increase. GSP and HHN in 2025 partnered to attract customers transporting automotive parts, power turbines, aircraft engines and other mechanical freight, GSP told Cargo Facts at the time. GSP sees regular large-widebody freighter flights, including to and from Liege (LGG) on Magma Aviation’s three Air Atlanta-operated 747-400Fs (30760, 27602 and 24801) and on 747-400Fs operated by Atlas Air. The airport is working to establish partnerships with secondary airports in Canada and South America, building on its partnership with HHN and positioning itself as a bridge for cargo such as seafood, flowers and other perishables, Kelly Wiggs, general manager of airline services at GSP's wholly owned handling division, Cerulean Aviation, told Cargo Facts . GSP envisions a “triangular” dynamic, where freighters moving smaller volumes of cargo to and from another region could alternate between GSP and its potential partner airports several times a week, Tyra said. The airport plans to announce one partnership this year and at least one more in 2027, he added. GSP sees growing onshoring of cargo including pharmaceuticals , which most U.S. airports aren’t immediately prepared to handle, Tyra said. “I think [the pharma shippers and forwarders ] are going to need to start looking at places that have land and have opportunities that are well connected geographically, and whether we can provide that,” he said. Cargo Facts Symposium 2026, the premier event for the freighter aircraft and air cargo industries, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21-23. Find out more and register by Sept. 4 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

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