Cargo Building Opens at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport

MASCOUTAH -- MidAmerica St. Louis Airport officials look forward to a sharp boost in airport warehouse capacity when they unveil a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and truck dock during a ceremony Monday.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.

The $7 million building features 37 truck docks and 10 airside access doors for the transfer of air cargo. The Tri-City Port Authority will operate 5,000 square feet, while the airport will retain another 5,000 square feet for charter carriers and other airport needs.

An additional 26,000 square feet will be leased by Dec. 1, airport officials announced Friday.

"This facility will enable the Southern Illinois region to prosper from international trade," St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said in a prepared statement. "We will be an air portal to the cargo world and fill a tremendous void in the region since international air cargo directly into the region does not exist today."

Money for the new warehouse came from the Military Airport Program, a subsidiary of the Federal Aviation Administration, which awarded St. Clair County a $7 million grant. The county contributed another $700,000, according to the statement.

Nine companies operate from the airport, including passenger carrier Allegiant Airlines, as well as the Transportation Security Administration.

Contact reporter Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@bnd.com or 239-2533

Belleville News Democrat

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