Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

VERY interesting article in this week's IBJ...

http://www.ibj.com/html/detail_page.asp?content=608

Member

Joined: 11 Oct 2006
Posts: 248
Location: Lexington ky

sounds intersting

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 2316
Location: Indianapolis, IN

I know . The board last meeting went to approve a quarter of a million dollar study to build an international air cargo facility.

Member

Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 728
Location: West Lafayette, IN

It would be nice to break up the norm of all FedEx.

Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

I think it's more to the point that the airport is a tremendously underutilized asset. When you fly through ORD, JFK, SFO, ATL, and other large passenger airports, you see Lufthansa cargo and KLM cargo, Singapore, Cathay, and lots of Atlas, Kalitta, and Polar Air cargo jets. That's all good solid business that IND is ideally suited for, but often overlooked because we're not that big a pax airport. And very little of it would compete directly with FedEx.

I wish they COULD use the old postal hub or the old terminal for this, but building a new facility will work, too. When the lease is up on the postal hub, they can offer that out for cargo companies too, and have even more capacity with top-notch facilities.

I really like the way the airport board and the economic development folks around here are thinking...

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 2316
Location: Indianapolis, IN

It is a very smart move. Cargo traffic fills a great deal of dead runway time. They are using our location and available space as the greatest selling point which it honestly is. Those two items have also become ORD's greatest liability.

Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

Dead runway time, indeed. And don't forget we already have the land acquired for a 3rd parallel runway, south of I-70. But what cargo also does is help support the overall cost of running the airport. The landing fees from cargo will obviously be used to pay for the cost of a new cargo terminal, but may eventually result in an operating surplus. That surplus could be applied to the costs of the passenger terminal, and can keep the costs down for the passenger airlines. This keeps IND competitive in the pax market, keeps fares a bit lower, and keeps service/destinations high for us all.

It also, of course, means jobs. The more cargo passing through IND, the more people who will work there to load and unload planes, drive vehicles, refuel/service aircraft, process customs, forward freight, and generally make money.

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 2316
Location: Indianapolis, IN

Well almost a year has gone by and I haven't heard anything more about this story. Have you?

Member

Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 728
Location: West Lafayette, IN

I have heard nothing, and I really wish they would build it. When Cargolux lands it goes to the freakin' Maintenance Center. Those and other potential flights need a dedicated cargo area.