Rickenbacker airport remains a high fashion spot for freighter operators. The latest carrier to mount regular all-cargo service to the cargo airport of Columbus, Ohio, is Etihad, which is launching a weekly freighter run from Sri Lanka to Columbus. The operation, which follows a string of charters over the past summer, is the result of an agreement between the Middle Eastern carrier and Trinity Logistics, a US forwarder whose clientele includes a number of large fashion retailers. Victoria’s Secret, GAP, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Speedo and Abercrombie & Fitch are some of the popular brands that source from Sri Lanka.

Etihad joins Middle Eastern rival Emirates, Cargolux and Cathay Pacific, all of which run scheduled freighters to Rickenbacker. All these were mounted in recent years. Previously Rickenbacker had been a regular stop for charters bringing in garments from Asia, but had no scheduled international service.

The airport authority has worked hard to build up momentum by developing sectors beyond fashion, although fashion is still the largest commodity on the inbound side. Generating export flows has been a major target for David Whitaker, vice-president of business development and communications. These efforts have produced a good flow of auto parts taking off from Rickenbacker. Livestock has become another regular export traffic, particularly horses. Thoroughbreds from the US Midwest are regularly flown out of Columbus.

To accommodate its growing traffic, the airport built a new 100,000-sq-ft cargo terminal that opened in May. It houses a number of forwarders as well as all four international freighter operators.

“We can expand the building to a quarter of a million square feet,” said Whitaker.

In its first nine months, the airport handled 63,500 tonnes. This is down 5.7% from the same period in 2015, but not because of a decline in demand. The previous year’s result was heavily skewed by the near-paralysis at US West Coast ports in early 2015; as shippers scrambled to get their products to US retail outlets, Rickenbacker saw an influx of 95 cargo charters.

Not counting that spike, the airport’s throughput this year would be up 59%, according to Whitaker.

Another US airport that keeps rolling out the welcome mat for freighter operators is Seattle-Tacoma. The latest entrant is AirBridgeCargo, which started a twice-weekly operation with Boeing 747-8F equipment in September. From Seattle, the aircraft heads to Chicago and back to Europe and the carrier’s home base in Moscow.

ABC is one of four carriers that entered the Seattle market this year, following DHL, Aerologic and Prime Air, which started a 767F operation for Amazon.

Last year, Seattle invested US$23 million in parking areas that can accommodate large freighters like the 747-8 and the Antonov 124. The airport’s management sees scope for further maindeck growth. Tom Green, Sea-Tac’s cargo manager, went to this year’s TIACA Air Cargo Forum armed with a new incentive scheme to draw in freighters.

Sea-Tac’s volumes climbed 6.7% in the first three quarters of 2016. Last year it handled almost 330,000 tonnes.

Chicago-Rockford is another US airport that has seen the start of a 767F operation serving a major internet retailer this year. The operation by ABX Air kicked off in September with one daily flight, grew to two and three in the following two months, and was due to reach four daily frequencies in December.

Rockford, which is one of the regional hubs for UPS in the US, handles a lot of e-commerce flows, but there is a fair amount of other cargo, noted Ken Ryan, the airport’s director of cargo. A large Chrysler plant located near Rockford generates automotive traffic, and the aerospace industry is another regular customer, he said.

“We get a lot of cargo charters. The majority are domestic,” he added.

For now, Rockford’s infrastructure is adequate to cope with the rise in activity, but management is looking to expand the international cargo ramp, he said.

In Canada, an integrator hub is seeing a push into international freighter activities. Hamilton has gained international connections to Bogotá, Lima, Mexico City and Frankfurt this past year, courtesy of Cargojet and Air Canada. The former, which is based at the airport and runs linehaul for the integrators through Hamilton, is operating the flights, which are marketed by Air Canada. The link with Air Canada helps, as it allows the airport to tap into the airline’s network in addition to the Cargojet flights across Canada, noted Lincoln Garraway, director of cargo development.

The airport opened a 77,000-sq-ft multi-tenant cargo facility in 2015. The building includes 5,000 sq ft of cold storage space, which could be used for perishables coming up from Latin America, he said.

In western Canada, Calgary International Airport has maintained its momentum, despite the impact of the oil price slump on the local economy. It continues to experience double-digit growth, thanks to the consolidation of freighter capacity on its premises, said Mark Ruel, director of air service development and industry relations.

“Courier companies continue to consolidate sort operations and aircraft capacity at YYC to serve the Canadian prairies,” he said, adding that DHL is about to open its largest on-airport sort facility in Canada.

“The consolidation will continue in 2017,” he predicted.

By Ian Putzger

Air Freight Correspondent | Toronto