Page 32 - The STAT Trade Times September 2022 Issue

focus

ON TRACK TO (RFD), the fastest growing cargo airport in
Chicago Rockford International Airport
the world, one of the top 15 cargo airports
in the US, is one such airport where the
future of air cargo is going to be. Located
BREAK 68 miles northwest of Chicago O’Hare
Airport (ORD), RFD is ranked as the 17th
largest cargo airport in North America.
Currently, fifteen international airlines
service RFD as a freighter network serving
RECORDS
destinations around the world. RFD is also
home to UPS’ second largest hub in North
America and a major base for Amazon Air.
Uncongested skies and roads contribute
to highly efficient distribution of air cargo
and e-commerce.
IN 2022 cargo operations and promises customers
RFD keeps setting gold standards for
the best. The airport claims to be not con-
gested on the ground inside the fence or
outside the fence. If the cargo is going to
an airfreight forwarder, the airport assures
that it can have the whole plane load to
that forwarder within five or six hours.
Chicago Rockford International Airport, Talking about the cargo business and
the world’s fastest growing cargo airport and the the volume of cargo handled at the airport,
fourteenth largest cargo airport in the US for landed RFD’s deputy director of operations and
weight, is already on track to break the record for planning Zach Oakley said 2021 was a “mas-
sive historical year”. “We set records in terms
cargo volume handled at the airport in 2022. of cargo volume. In 2021 we saw an increase
of 25 percent over 2020 and the growth
Reji John was across all three areas of our operations
– Amazon Air, UPS and international cargo.
irports are engines of eco- considered secondary with a strong We had over 3.4 billion pounds (a little
nomic growth for the region cargo friendly approach are proving over 1.5 million tonnes of cargo) of landed
where they are located. For their value for freight forwarders and weight.” Oakley is very optimistic about
Apassenger aviation it is most shippers who are looking to move creating a new record for 2022. “2022 is ex-
convenient for airports to be located international export and import cargo ceeding 2021 by about 12 percent already.
right at the centre or very close to large with speed and reliability. These air- We are on track to break our record for
metros. But such airports are not re- ports are turning out to be the go-to cargo volume handled at RFD. We continue
ally the best ones for cargo operations airports for the world’s most serious to see that growth across all three areas of
and they do not necessarily generate main-deck operators, combination our cargo business,” he added.
significant revenue from cargo business. carriers and shippers. These are also The airport has the world’s largest cargo
Certainly, there are exceptions. becoming major centres of economic carriers connecting RFD to the rest of the
Airports that are not right in the impact for local economies and arteries world. Besides UPS and Amazon Air RFD
midst of large metros and popularly of global trade and commerce. serves more than 15 international airlines

In February this year Emirates SkyCargo launched its freighter
operations to Chicago Rockford International Airport

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