Banks and developers express interest in Anchorage airport cargo projects

Six companies have formally expressed interest in commercial development and financing options for warehousing, distribution and product assembly operations in and around the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC).
Three commercial developers – Irwin Development Group, Lynxs Group, Pfeffer Development – and three banks – First National Bank Alaska, KeyBank and Northrim Bank – submitted formal letters of interest to the Alaska AeroNexus Alliance in pursuit of development opportunities at the Anchorage airport.
The airport said all three developers have significant experience developing warehousing and distribution projects, as well as numerous Alaska projects.
Additionally, Lynxs Group and Pfeffer Development have substantial experience developing on-airport projects across the US, including at the Anchorage airport.

The Alaska AeroNexus Alliance, formed in 2016, is a public-private partnership of the Alaska International Airport System, Municipality of Anchorage and the Anchorage Economic Development Corp that aims to develop airfreight operations at the airport.
Approximately 75% of all air cargo shipped between Asia and the US passes through the airport as it has proved an ideal technical stop location and consequently air cargo carriers and express operators have developed transhipment operations from the airport.
In 2016, ANC was the sixth-busiest air cargo airport in the world by landed tonnage with approximately 500 widebody aircraft landings per week.
However, ANC was the only top 20 cargo airport to see demand decrease as it registered a 3.4% decline to 2.5m tonnes and slipped from fourth place to sixth in the top 20.

"Alaska AeroNexus Alliance is pursuing opportunities in targeted industry sectors that can benefit from Anchorage International Airport’s globally central location, robust air cargo connectivity and highly reliable service including pharmaceutical logistics, automotive electronics and consumer electronics," it said.
"Alaska AeroNexus Alliance will be co-ordinating with the partner companies to ensure they have a high level of familiarity with the needs of the industry sectors being pursued and the development opportunities that exist, both on the airport property and off-airport."