Airports round-up

Air Cargo News provides a run-down of the airports which have experienced a growth in cargo volumes and financing in 2010:

  • Thanks to a heavy investment programme luring in five new international airlines, cargo at Abu Dhabi International Airport grew 16 per cent in 2010 to 438,000 tonnes. Abu Dhabi Airports Company has also added six new destinations and serviced an average of 41 additional frequencies from its existing airlines – a 13 per cent increase in the total weekly outbound flights compared with the previous year.
  • In Belgium, a record number of 639,434 tons of freight passed through Liege airport in 2010, a jump of 32.6 per cent over 2009 with 482,121 tons. Cargo such as live animals and fresh produce helped boost volumes.
  • In Jordan the US$750 million rehabilitation and expansion programme at the Queen Alia International Airport has translated into an escalation in cargo volumes: 2010 registered 90,200 tonnes, an 11.8 per cent increase over 2009.

In the US several airports saw improved cargo throughput, as well as finance programmes:

  • Southwest Florida International Airport recorded a 3.1 million-pound rise in December 2010 over the previous December.
  • Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) saw a 3.7 per cent increase in cargo volume in December at 124.7 million pounds, 4.5 million higher than December 2009, but overall 2010 was down 18.5 per cent from 2009. The airport is eager to begin work on a $128.4 million project moving railroad tracks to make way for a runway extension.
  • In Indiana the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority board approved refinancing its $14.5 million in outstanding debt for the 300,000-square-foot building at the former Kitty Hawk cargo hub.
  • In Kentucky the regional airport authority has approved a capital-improvement programme that calls for spending nearly $150 million for projects related to Louisville International Airport and $12.7 million to modernise Bowman Field through 2015.
     
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