As the airfreight market in North America evolves, the role of San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) in this industry segment continues to climb
As the airfreight market in North America evolves, the role of San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) in this industry segment continues to climb. Once an Air Force base, the airport is now a thriving player in air cargo.
In 2016, UPS initiated seasonal service as the sole cargo carrier at SBD. Since that time, the airport has experienced uninterrupted annual growth, placing it in the nation’s top 25 busiest air cargo airports. SBD is well situated in the Inland Empire region of Southern California with easy access to the entire LA basin. “Trade is crucial to California, a state that serves as a significant hub for various transit methods, including major shipping ports and logistical points. At SBD, we continue to accommodate air cargo growth,” Mark Gibbs, Director of Aviation for San Bernardino, stated. “California’s logistics landscape is significant; while New York is the largest market in the US, Los Angeles is the second largest, and SBD is ideally situated to serve all Southern California. Our airport is an excellent launching point to Asia, providing great market access while maintaining low operational costs. These key advantages have attracted the nation’s largest integrated cargo carriers to include San Bernardino in their growth plans.”
Trade lanes and inter-modality
The connectivity at San Bernardino International Airport has steadily improved over time. Initially, focused on connecting to larger hub cities, it has now developed into its own major cargo hub. Today, the airport serves as Amazon’s second-largest hub in the United States, following their primary hub in Cincinnati (CVG).
As SBD has expanded in size, it has allowed for more growth and diversification. For example, FedEx connects to its main hub in Memphis, while UPS operates to various markets.
“When we first began our partnership with UPS, followed by FedEx the next year, we quickly realized the potential challenge of an increasing number of trucks at the airport. To address, we took proactive measures that enhanced efficiency and streamlined operations for our carriers,” Gibbs explained. “We constructed a dedicated cargo-only truck entrance to the airport, which includes a high-speed off-ramp designed to accommodate multiple lanes. This setup minimizes the interference between trucks and other vehicles, ensuring smoother traffic flow. Additionally, we have an actively managed security station specifically for trucks, providing a quick and secure entry and exit process. These improvements have significantly enhanced efficiency for both the trucks and all other airport users, and we have seen considerable success as a result.”
Source: SBD International
Environmental mindset
The 100-acre Amazon development at SBD was specifically designed with net-zero emissions in mind, making it the first of its kind in the world. Every piece of equipment on-site is electric, whether it’s a cargo loader, tug, forklift, or pushback tug. The site has 73 charging stations built for industrial-grade equipment, ensuring that the entire operation runs on electricity. Additionally, a 650,000-square-foot cargo building is topped with solar panels, generating enough energy to power about 1,000 homes. This commitment to clean energy is evident throughout the Amazon hub. The company has done an outstanding job of setting the standard and being responsible stewards in their pursuit of sustainability. “We can all strive to do our part and be responsible stewards of the environment, and we are committed to doing just that,” Gibbs highlighted.
“Right now, we’re seeing early efforts toward a cleaner environment with various technologies emerging. “It’s really about technology catching up with market demand. It’s hard to predict with certainty what the dominant energy source of the future will be, as there are many competing options.”
