Size matters: Smaller airports compete for cargo

As cargo operators look to increase efficiencies, non-hub airports have become increasingly attractive and, in some cases, have focused their attention on cargo ops. Brandon Fried, executive director of the Air Forwarders Association, in a recent column called on U.S. policymakers to address worsening airport congestion, citing a drop in efficiency for cargo operations. [caption id="attachment_57133929" align="alignright" width="460"] RFD has opened 240,000 square feet of cargo handling facilities for both Menzies Aviation and Emery Air. (Photo/Rockford Airport)[/caption] Meanwhile, logistics provider DSV is expanding its operations in Arizona at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) instead of the main hub at Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) to avoid congestion, according to recently published reports. For its part, DSV reported strong results for 2022 despite declining fourth-quarter performance. Air Cargo Next spoke to representatives at Chicago Rockford (RFD), Hamilton (YHM) and Columbus Rickenbacker (LCK) to see how non-hub airports are attracting increased cargo operations. Rockford airport In the past two years, RFD has opened 240,000 square feet of cargo handling facilities for both Menzies Aviation and Emery Air . Menzies will occupy Building 3 which is 50K sq ft beginning in early June. While RFD expects continued growth for its existing cargo facilities, the airport also plans to turn to technology for expansion. “We are in the process of planning Building 4, which could be up to 400,000 square feet,” said Ken Ryan, RFD’s director of cargo . “This future facility is being planned to be a highly automated, state-of-the-art facility that will allow for high throughput of high-value cargo and a full suite of services.” The new facility will be built in partnership with Kale Logistics, which will provide a cargo community system for customers. “Over the next six months, we will be rolling this system out to all of our users and will further develop the digitization of air cargo and it will also have positive impacts related to the carbon reduction with reduced truck queuing and wait times,” Ryan said. RFD has only two runways and is located an hour outside the city center, so it is dwarfed by Chicago Midway and O’Hare. However, the airport doesn't suffer from size differences, he noted. “The airfield infrastructure and the surrounding roadway/highway access are on par with the traditional large passenger hub airports that are seen in the major urban areas,” Ryan said. “What makes RFD different is that the users get all the benefits of that infrastructure and none of the headaches of the large passenger hubs.” Minutes matter when burning jet fuel, and RFD says its smaller size allows for fuel savings. “The fact that an aircraft can go wheels down to engines off in five minutes consistently saves time, fuel, labor, and each of these cascades throughout the supply chain connected to RFD,” Ryan said. Being outside of the urban center, RFD enjoys easy transit for trucks moving cargo to the airport, thus avoiding congestion issues. “The lack of heavy congestion both inside and outside the fence and the efficiencies that can be achieved is what we have been marketing,” Ryan said. Hamilton Airport On Jan. 23, the Canadian government announced an investment of $23.4 million to support Hamilton International Airport (YHM) in Hamilton, Ont., with a two-year, $46.9 million CAD Expansion and Sustainability Project. YHM is the largest domestic overnight express cargo airport in the country. “Cargo tonnage facilitated through Hamilton was 59% higher in 2021 than it was in 2017,” Cole Horncastle, executive managing director of YHM, told Air Cargo Next. “ This steady growth in cargo activity can be attributed to several critical factors, including the accelerated shift to e-commerce in recent years, the increased demand and movement of a variety of essential medical supplies during the pandemic, and the significant advantages that Hamilton International Airport offers its cargo partners.” Located about an hour from Toronto, the airport enjoys the perks of a big city. “These advantages include our strategic proximity to Ontario’s 400-series highways, the greater Toronto area and the U.S. border,” Horncastle said. YHM expects the government funding for its expansion and sustainability project to include key features to make the airport more attractive to cargo. “The project will strengthen and expand airfield and de-icing capacity; strengthen and rehabilitate key airport infrastructure, such as aprons and taxiways; improve stormwater management systems; and construct a dedicated roadway for cargo operations over the next two years, starting in 2023,” Horncastle said. Columbus Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio, saw notable jumps in traffic as cargo airlines and forwarders' tastes moved away from large-hub airports. “As airfreight increased and large gateways became overwhelmed and congested, Rickenbacker saw significant growth during the pandemic and subsequent supply chain disruption,” said Bryan Schreiber, manager of air cargo business development for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. Since 2012, LCK’s total cargo volume has increased 43.3%. Despite turbulence in the economy in the fourth quarter of 2022, the airport continued to perform, increasing the value of goods flowing through the airport for the first 11 months of the year, according to the airport. “Many companies turned to airports like Rickenbacker as an alternative and are now seeing the benefits of working with a smaller, cargo-focused airport longer-term,” Schreiber said. As it grows, the airport continues to offer a blank canvas of ramp space available for cargo movements that have made the airport attractive to freight operators. “We have plenty of aircraft parking and freight staging areas that are uncongested and not co-located with any passenger or GA [General Aviation] operations,” Schreiber said . “ We also have plenty of ramp-side property yet to be developed and are currently looking at development options for the next set of air cargo terminals.” The airport plans to announce the construction of a 10,000-square-foot pharmaceutical cargo-handling facility. This story has been updated to reflect that air cargo handler Menzies Aviation does not yet occupy space at RFD. A previous version stated that Menzies was already established at the airport.

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