Rickenbacker Revival: How an all-cargo airport found a new spark

Inevitable expansion

Growth without further investment, however, is not limitless. When carriers began increasing frequencies, the demand for warehouse space intensified, Whitaker said. For instance, Trinity Logistics has considered diverting much of its exports from JFK to LCK, but “cannot switch it over immediately because the facilities we will be using are just not set up at this time,” said Trinity’s senior vice president Gary Pippin.

That capacity crunch is about to change. A new 100,000-square-foot cargo facility – the Air Cargo 5 Terminal – was scheduled to open soon. When completed, it is expected to handle all of the airport’s international cargo flow. The $17 million facility was leased to Mast Global, the logistics arm of L Brands, by the Columbus Airport Authority, and will be operated by Phoenix-based Total Airport Services.

Gerald Kolasch, chief commercial officer for Total Airport Services, said the new facility’s innovative shared-space model will add new levels of efficiency and increased security. “This initiative taken by key stakeholders unites many different levels of the supply chain together under one roof,” he said. Cutting out the number of transfers involved in the process reduces the risk of damage, loss or theft, Kolasch added. Trinity’s Pippin agreed that congested hubs cannot compare to the turnaround efficiency of the new terminal.

Whitaker said the new cargo terminal will provide Midwestern freight forwarders with something they have never had before: “export capability in their own backyard.” Pippin expects Trinity to be able to double its volumes moving through LCK, with exports eventually comprising 50 percent of the total volume.

With the new cargo terminal live, and a total of ten weekly scheduled freighter flights operated by three carriers established. “If we get a couple more airlines willing to fly out of there, it’s going to take some volume from Chicago to LCK,” said Gareau. Doing so, he added, would allow MTA Lines to “take some of the revenue that we would have to pay to send it to Chicago and add it to Columbus, which would just be great for us.”

Perhaps with LCK’s new Air Cargo 5 Terminal, the long-simmering water will finally come to a boil, as exports begin to match inbound volumes. Just as Macs, which were once considered subpar to PCs, have earned respect for quality, so may Rickenbacker match the same level of prominence of major regional gateways.

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