Amazon to break ground on CVG hub next week

Amazon will break ground on its new Amazon Air cargo hub at Cincinnati/North Kentucky International Airport (CVG) on May 14, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed today.

Amazon’s $1.5 billion CVG cargo hub will be located on a 1,100-acre plot of land, similar in size to other global hubs for major integrators, such as FedEx’s 900-acre Memphis (MEM) hub. Amazon’s CVG hub will have capacity to handle more than 100 aircraft at once, and is designed to accommodate national and international network operations, as reported by our sister site, Air Cargo World. The location allows Amazon’s trucks to reach 11 fulfillment centers within a few hours.

Last month, Amazon Air selected construction joint venture Whiting-Turner and Kokosing Construction Co. for its construction team. The JV joins others working on the project, including designer AECOM, and Woolpert, which is providing planning, civil engineering and surveying for the hub.

Amazon Air’s current freighter fleet, which consists primarily of 767-200Fs and -300Fs operated by subsidiary carriers of Air Transport Services Group and Atlas Air, falls well under the planned capacity for its CVG hub, and led to frequent speculation that the e-tailer would continue to grow its air operation, as reported by our sister publication, Cargo Facts. That was verified earlier this year with the news that Amazon would add up to 20 737-800BCFs to its operation, to be flown by Atlas’ subsidiary, Southern Air. With Amazon continuing to grow its airport footprint as well, the 737Fs are likely not the last freighters that will join Amazon Air’s network.