Carriers mull Rockford alternative to O’Hare

CHICAGO Rockford International Airport (RFD) seems a step closer to its goal of hosting regular international freighter flights, as Southern Air is slotting a number of trips through the airport to test its viability. The carrier has run three flights through RFD so far, and more are likely in December and January, according to Ken Ryan (right), the airport’s director of cargo.

He is still waiting for details of Southern Air’s tests, but early results indicated that the freight on board those flights was delivered to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) within three-and-a-half hours of arrival.

This is in line with the processing times recorded for three test runs performed by Atlas Air during the summer. According to RFD estimates, this is faster than the average time it takes cargo landed at ORD to become ready for pick-up.

Ryan stressed that RFD can save carriers money. “We estimate that the cost savings are US$15,000-17,000 per flight,” he said.

For the full story read the latest free digital edition of Air Cargo News, no. 691 dated 29 November, here.