Secondary airports offer greener, less costly options

Carriers and forwarders have increasingly been building operations at secondary airports to escape the congestion at primary airports as the smaller airports offer a quicker turnaround, produce fewer emissions per flight and are better for the environment. [caption id="attachment_57132203" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo/RFD[/caption] The landing and takeoff (LTO) cycle for aircraft operating through large passenger hubs took an average of one hour and 46 minutes, compared with about 16 minutes at Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD), according to an environmental study conducted by the airport and released this month. “The fact that we offer wheels down to engines off in five minutes or less and efficient approaches with typically no vectoring does translate into considerable cost savings and reductions in emissions,” RFD Deputy Director of Planning and Operations Zack Oakley said in a release. The study showed a reduction in carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as cost savings, to airlines that at RFD compared with large hubs. Due to the reduction in flight cycle time, a typical Boeing 747 freighter running four times per week into RFD throughout the year — instead of into a primary airport — would save $8 million in annual costs, emit 6,000 fewer tonnes of CO2 and 15,000 fewer tonnes of NOx, and burn 1,800 fewer tonnes of jet fuel, according to the report. DSV chooses AZA Acknowledging the benefits of operating out of a smaller airport, global transportation and logistics company DSV last week cut the ribbon on its expanded air charter network at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), which will serve Arizona’s fast-growing semiconductor industry . “One of the benefits of using secondary airports is a shorter possible travel time for deliveries, resulting in less trucks on the road,” Ryan Smith , director of communications and government relations at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority , told Air Cargo Next . “If a shipper uses Gateway Airport instead of LAX, that eliminates over 400 miles of truck travel. Gateway Airport enjoys a much less congested airspace and three 10,000-foot runways, so each operation is seamless.” DSV’s new charter route out of AZA is the first regularly scheduled air cargo charter in the area, and DSV leased an airport hangar and uses its own ground-handling equipment. “The industrial developments we are seeing in Arizona right now are quite significant,” DSV Air and Sea North America President Niels Larsen said in a release. “With these new service offerings, DSV can provide more routes to [Latin America] and Mexico. Furthermore, the Mesa airport plays perfectly into our strategy of using Tier 2 airports to avoid long lead times, and it will also have a strong strategic importance for our ability to serve customers in the semiconductor segment. This will create some unique competitive advantages, and, quite frankly, it will be a game changer for us.” BHM grows cargo ops Cargo operations are also growing at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama, where Kuehne + Nagel established operations in February. The Birmingham Airport Authority plans to construct a new air cargo facility to open in March 2024. “Secondary markets create efficiencies that can reduce the environmental footprint,” BHM Vice President of Properties and Business Development Ingrid Hairston told Air Cargo Next . “Flying into less congested, secondary markets reduces taxiing, holds for gate availability and overall ground time. Carriers can access cargo gates and ramps without delay, load or offload cargo with minimal delay, and begin to move cargo out to final delivery points quickly. “The easy access of smaller markets increases the ability to provide just-in-time delivery of goods,” she added. “The end result is a smaller overall operation, reduced warehousing needs for inbound cargo, the elimination of warehousing needs for outbound cargo, and a reduction in the requirement of long-term cold storage and associated facilities.”

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