Kansas City Sending Strong Contingent to TIACA Air Cargo Forum & Exposition

Aug. 16, 2006
The Kansas City Aviation Department has joined forces with KC SmartPort.
To raise awareness for the profit potential Kansas City International Airport (MCI) offers cargo carriers and related businesses, the Kansas City Aviation Department has joined forces with KC SmartPort, the Kansas City Area Development Council and the Platte County (Missouri) Economic Development Council to launch an aggressive marketing campaign at The International Air Cargo Association’s (TIACA) Air Cargo Forum & Exposition in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, September 12-14, 2006.

These four organizations have banded together to host a Kansas City Pavilion, which will be located near the main entrance of the Roundup Centre Convention Hall (in Booth 200), where visitors can have their photograph taken with a Kansas City-made Harley-Davidson motorcycle, pick up samples of KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce and information about the latest air cargo business development programs at Kansas City International Airport.

Qualifying booth visitors will also have the opportunity to enter to win a Garmin GPS unit, Harley-Davidson leather jacket or all-expenses-paid trip to Kansas City.

Located in the heart of North America, Kansas City offers tremendous opportunity for international air cargo carriers seeking access to the more than 18.9 million American consumers who live in the six-state region surrounding MCI.

"We have invested more than $450 million in improvements to our facilities and technology infrastructure at Kansas City International Airport, paving the way for new developments on and around the airfield that will make Kansas City even more attractive for cargo operators and related businesses well into the future," said Gary Bartek, Kansas City Aviation Department manager of air cargo and business development and chairman of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA). "Our goal is to serve notice that Kansas City is serious about cargo."

The airport already offers Foreign Trade Zone status, a U.S. Customs automated manifest system, low landing fees, one of the nation’s lowest flight delay indices and Enhanced Enterprise Zone tax initiatives. Kansas City International Airport and the surrounding development district covers more than 20,000 acres (8,094 hectares), with more than 7,000 acres (2,833 hectares) of on-airport property open for new development. The airport features Category III instrument landing systems and three 150-foot-wide (45.72 meters) runways, including a 10,801-foot (3,292-meter) main runway and two 9,500-foot (2,896-meter) runways.

Six air freight facilities comprising more than 300,000 square feet (27,871 square meters) of office and warehouse space and 1.2 million square feet (111,484 square meters) of ramp space support nearly two dozen daily all-cargo flights.

The airport is also served directly by four Interstate highways, offering speedy intermodal access to 18 states in a 700-mile (1,126-km) radius.

In 2005, the Kansas City Aviation Department commissioned a report authored by renowned aviation development expert Dr. Jack Kasarda—who coined the term aerotropolis in reference to the growing trend of economic development surrounding major metropolitan airports—to help the city attract new aviation services companies and related development to MCI’s 10,000-acre property.

"The Kansas City contingent is making a strong statement because the aviation industry has been an important part of our history and will play a key role in our future," said Tim Cowden, senior vice president, business development, Kansas City Area Development Council. "We expect that our presence at TIACA will cause many in the industry to take a good look at all that Kansas City has to offer." "Platte County has grown tremendously in the past decade, thanks in large part to our being the home of Kansas City International Airport," adds Pete Fullerton, president, Platte County Economic Development Council. "Platte County also offers the benefits of a skilled workforce, low taxes and a low cost of living."

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