TransAlliance Tulsa LLC will break ground in November for its third cargo building at Tulsa International Airport.
Last week the Tulsa Airport Improvement Trust approved a sublease agreement for TransAlliance to build a 60,000-square-foot structure on 7.5 acres on the airport's north side.
After discussion with several possible tenants, TransAlliance President John Price said his firm is negotiating with two transporters to occupy the building, which will be expandable to 90,000 square feet.
"We think there is tremendous opportunity at that airport," Price said. "Based on our marketing efforts to try to expand cargo at the airport, we've decided to build an additional building. "
The activity reflects continued growth in transporting freight to and from Tulsa International, the monthly total increasing in three of the past four years.
Over the last two months, freight carriers serving the airport have jointly recorded double-digit growth: a 24.4-percent increase in May to 5.5 tons, followed by a 16.5-percent rise in June to 5.48 tons.
That lifted year-to-date freight 6.69 percent to 28.2 tons, putting the airport on track to its busiest year for freight cargo since 2000.
TransAlliance completed its first cargo building in July 2000, a 101,000-square-foot structure occupied by Federal Express.
It completed an adjacent 63,000-square-foot building for FedEx domestic ground operations in August 2006.
