Rickenbacker cargo numbers climb
July 26--With a boost from Hong Kong, freight operations at Rickenbacker Airport continue to soar, while the number of passengers at Port Columbus remains flat.
The amount of cargo passing through Rickenbacker in June totaled 12.8 million pounds, an 18.1 percent increase from the same month in 2011. Through June, the total is 77.5 million pounds, a 23.1 percent increase from the same period a year ago.
One of the keys to the improvement is Kalitta Air, a Michigan-based carrier that has been making three flights a week from Hong Kong to Rickenbacker since August.
Kalitta's cargo operations handled 7.6 million pounds through June, a 104 percent increase.
"We've been getting freight from Hong Kong for many years, but it was always intermittent and not as reliable," said David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which oversees Port Columbus and Rickenbacker airports."Most air freight, including what comes to Rickenbacker, is high-value items that manufacturers want to get to market quickly," he said. "Examples include electronics such as smartphones and computers, perishables and some fashion apparel."The cargo operations of UPS are up 23.6 percent for the year, and FedEx is up 20.2 percent.
"Their flights schedules here are essentially the same, so their volumes have improved," Whitaker said of Rickenbacker's two largest freight haulers.
Despite the gains, Whitaker said the airport is not yet a major player in freight operations, "but we're working hard to change that."
Memphis International Airport, the global base of FedEx, is North America's top freight operator, at 3.9 million metric tons in 2011, according to Airports Council International.
The report lists the top 50 freight airports. Last on that list is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport at 80,000 metric tons.
Rickenbacker isn't yet on the list, handling 66,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2011, Whitaker said.
Also reporting gains was Port Columbus for the first half of the year. The total number of passengers using the airport totaled 3.2 million, a 1 percent increase over the same period in 2011.
"This is the new normal," Elaine Roberts, CEO of the airport authority, said of the small gain. "A lot of airports are experiencing flat growth or slightly less than flat growth."
The number of flights at Port Columbus were down 1.2 percent for the first half of the year, to 24,788.
"But ... planes are full," Roberts said, adding this is an indication the airlines are "managing their flight operations well to maximize their profits."
Nationally, the number of air passengers rose 1.7 percent, to 736 million, for the 12 months that ended April 30, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The overall load factor, or seat occupancy percentage, was 82.5 percent, up from 81.8 percent the previous year.
@stevewartenberg
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