Rickenbacker, the all-cargo airport of Columbus, Ohio, is going to get a new customer. Amazon is planning a 93,000 sq metre fulfillment centre at the Rickenbacker Global Logistics Park, which is located less than a kilometre from the airport. The e-commerce behemoth intends to serve consumers in the northeastern US from the facility, which is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2016.

Already in progress at the logistics park is the construction of a 39,000 sq metre facility for chemicals giant BASF.

Rickenbacker airport has been on a roll. Over the past couple of years Cathay Pacific, Cargolux and Emirates have steadily built up scheduled freighter operations through Columbus. The rise in traffic prompted the airport to build a new, 9,300 sq metre terminal, which is due for completion halfway through the coming year.

The new warehouse will relieve the pressure on capacity, but it is also a strategic asset to develop exports, noted David Whitaker, the airport’s vice president of business development and communications. Mindful of the pressures that airlines face to generate returns on both inbound and outbound legs, he is bent on building up export volumes from Rickenbacker’s catchment area.

The economy in Texas has eclipsed growth in most other parts of the US, and this is reflected in the rise of the state’s two major gateways, Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). The former gained two new Asian routes in the summer when EVA mounted service to Taipei and All Nippon Airways launched flights between Houston and Tokyo Narita. Both operate the new sectors with 777-300ER passenger aircraft.

According to ANA, there are many Japanese businesses in the Houston area, but the carrier’s management has also emphasized the importance of Houston’s connections to Latin America. Demand for cargo on the new route has been strong, an ANA spokesman said.

The swooning oil market has taken its toll on Houston, which saw a 3.1% decline in air freight operations in the fiscal year that ended on June 30. However, cargo throughput was up 6.4% to 475,225 tonnes.

DFW also strengthened its Asian connections, courtesy of Japan Airlines, which resumed flights between Texas and its home market in November with 787 aircraft, and American Airlines, which launched flights between its home base and the Chinese capital, also with 787 equipment.

DFW reported a 5.6% rise in cargo tonnage for the first nine months of 2015, reaching 539,764 tonnes. Asian freighters, which account for two-thirds of the airport’s international cargo traffic, have been the main driver of its cargo business. With 52% of its cargo business, Asia is the main cargo market for DFW, far ahead of Europe, which is in second place with 31%.

Los Angeles (LAX) lost an Asian connection at the end of October, when Thai Airways pulled out of the trans-Pacific market. On the positive side, the preeminent airport on the US West Coast gained a link to Moscow and beyond to Asia last spring, when AirBridgeCargo Airlines mounted twice-weekly flights with 747-8 freighters.

Most of the largest carriers at LAX field are freighters, including Korean Air, China Airlines, EVA, Cathay Pacific, China Cargo Airlines, China Southern and Nippon Cargo. This underscores the airport’s dominance of West Coast traffic, noted Mike Webber, an airport consultant who has been advising the LAX airport authority on cargo for years.

Last year the airport handled 1,818,766 tonnes, its best result since a record 2,078,384 tonnes registered in the year 2000. In the first nine months of 2015, LAX clocked up 1,579,515 tonnes, up 8.42% from the same period in 2014.

Up the coast, Seattle-Tacoma registered a 3.35% increase in cargo for the first nine months of 2015, which was driven by an 11.6% rise in international tonnage. In 2014 Sea-Tac’s throughput had gone up 11.6%.

Sea-Tac bolstered its freighter capacity in recent months with the establishment of freighter parking stands, a US$23 million investment that allows two 747-8 freighters to park side-by-side.

“We are literally paving the way for current and future growth in our region,” said Port of Seattle commissioner John Creighton. “In just the last year, we have seen a 10% increase in the number of very large freighters coming to Sea-Tac, showing that our investments have been right in line with industry needs and will benefit farmers and exporters across Washington State.”

Increasingly, airport authorities in the US seek to up their cargo game with investments that target specific aspects or market segments.

Aiming for a slice of the growing animal transportation pie, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has signed a 30-year lease deal with Ark Development, an affiliate of real estate company Racebrook Capital, to design and build a 16,500 sq metre animal cargo terminal at JFK airport. The US$48 million facility called “the ARK,” which is slated to open in the first quarter of 2016, will have a USDA-approved, full-service, 24-hour quarantine area for the import and export of horses, pets, birds and livestock.

The port authority expects to see some US$108 million in revenues from the facility over its 30-year span.

Miami, which has soared on perishables flooding in from Latin America, is trying to carve out a niche in the lucrative pharmaceutical and life sciences sector. It recently obtained Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators certification for handling temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, with five operators on its premises on board. The five represent a mix or airlines, logistics and trucking providers.

By Ian Putzger

Air Freight Correspondent | Toronto