Release of news about Air Freight Services part two

Welcome to the Air Freight Services blog, where we are once again reviewing the latest important news and articles related to the air cargo and air cargo industry. In addition to our usual updates, these news stories will include many other facts, figures and opinions that will give you a better understanding of the overall state of the air cargo industry right now. You’ll find a blue link after each review to learn more, so let’s get started.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is celebrating the return of direct transatlantic service as Lufthansa has opened nonstop flights to Frankfurt. This is welcome news for the city in Florida, as the airport seeks to return to its role as a major international air cargo hub in addition to its extensive domestic routes. The news signals the restoration of German service for the first time in more than a decade, read more in the Tampa Bay Times.

More news about the planned relocation of air cargo service from New York’s JFK airport to Newburgh, which we wrote about earlier here. Work is now underway on a proposal to turn the airport into an offloading center for freighters that could be sent on to JFK or Newark Airport. In this news, which perhaps points to the possibility of a move to JFK, it will be interesting to follow developments closely.

Etihad is increasing its air cargo traffic by adding a new Boeing 747 freighter to its scheduled flights. Etihad’s air cargo operations on behalf of the airline are handled by Atlas Air Inc. and the new aircraft increases the fleet to ten.

Indianapolis (IND) already ranks eighth in the nation for cargo traffic, thanks in no small part to Fedex facilities at the airport, but the addition of four new daily flights from downtown Indiana in February will further expand air cargo capacity. Allegiant Air will begin flights to Las Vegas and three Florida cities in February. Read more at IndianaBusiness.com.

U.K. – A rather curious article reports that air cargo traffic through London Heathrow Airport (LHR) grew 5.3% in 2014, above the European average. The report also reports that a remarkable 40% of U.K. imports and exports are transported by air, along with a host of other facts and figures in this piece from breakingtravelnews.com

Atlanta plans to launch an in-depth study of how air cargo services at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport can be improved. The city announced that it will work with consultants to conduct a full analysis of the air cargo market, focusing on growing international markets as well as niche markets with which the Atlanta region should trade. Read more about the analysis at bizjournals.com

Seattle – Ted Fick, who recently took over as CEO of the Port of Seattle, has called for rapid expansion of the port and Sea-Tac Airport to create up to 100,000 new jobs in the region. Such growth will allow Seattle to become one of the largest air cargo hubs in North America, and air cargo is an important part of that process, according to this great article from bizjournals.com.