Aurora Air International to establish its world headquarters at MidAmerica

Seoul, South Korea, October 10, 2014 (STAT):-Carlos Smith, President of Aurora Air International announced the airline’s intentions to establish its new world headquarters at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. In a Skype briefing from San Diego, California, Mr. Smith joined the MidAmerica St. Louis booth at the International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) Air Cargo Forum (ACF) 2014 to announce the company’s teaming with MidAmerica to supply scheduled on the LATAM to MidAmerica to Asia and return route.  Airports on the route will be announced in the first part of 2015.

The announcement fills in a critical gap in the trade lane the airport and Ningbo Lishe International Airport in China have been working on since their airports’ announcement at the 2012 ACF in Atlanta.

The decision to base at MidAmerica came about because Aurora Air Cargo recognized the site and operations as a key step in its plans to open Asian and Latin American trade lanes that will serve unique and needed support for perishable and pharmaceutical supplies from the Midwest USA.

“As airplanes start to operate out of MidAmerica a new, closed, safe, certified, secure cold chain will be available to USA Midwest product shippers to and from Asian and Latin American with less handling and ground movement than is available today,” said Aurora President Carlos Smith.

He added “Asian and Latin American shippers will enjoy this route as their goods, especially perishable goods, are not double and triple handled in the USA enroute to the other continent.”

At the ACF 2014, joining MidAmerica and Aurora, was Mr. Feng Jianhan, Vice General Manager of Ningbo Airport and Logistics Development Group Co., LTD. In 2012, Mr. Chen Yi, Director International Business Development, Ningbo Logistics and Airport Administration joined for the airports’ partnership announcement in Atlanta. Ningbo and MidAmerica have been engaged in a joint cooperation agreement for marketing and trade support helping efforts for freight to be collected for airlines using the MidAmerica to Ningbo and return routing. Latin America destinations are being included as well.