Rickenbacker Airport

Rickenbacker Airport adds refrigeration for Ohio pharma industry

Cargo-focused Rickenbacker International Airport is diversifying its business with the opening of the first cold storage facility in Ohio dedicated to pharmaceuticals shipped by air transport.

While most airports typically act as landlords for companies granted development rights, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority opted to invest, build and manage the pharma handling center itself while outsourcing operations through an innovative revenue-sharing program.

The 9,600-square-foot...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rickenbacker-airport-adds-refrigeration-for-ohio-pharma-industry

Unique Logistics books dozens of Asia cargo jets for peak season

A light gray plane is loaded with cargo from the rear door using a hydraulic lift.

Large logistics providers have responded to the dearth of air cargo capacity during the coronavirus pandemic by leasing entire planeloads with crews to make sure they can meet customers’ transport requirements. Not to be outdone, New York-based Unique Logistics International has been one of the most aggressive midsize freight forwarders in locking up capacity, contracting for more than 150 freighter flights from Asia in the second half of the year.

Beginning June 13, Qatar Airways will operate...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unique-logistics-books-dozens-of-asia-cargo-jets-for-peak-season

Azerbaijan cargo airline debuts at Rickenbacker airport

A hydraulic lift helps unload freight pallets from a cargo jet.

Azerbaijan-based Silkway West Airlines is the latest carrier to begin flying to Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, a cargo-focused airport that recently marked the arrival of its 500th passenger aircraft with only cargo onboard.

The first Silkway B747 freighter touched down at Rickenbacker (LCK) this week under a long-term lease with Trinity Logistics USA, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority said. 

New York-based Trinity operates one of the largest private air networks into...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/azerbaijan-cargo-airline-debuts-at-rickenbacker-airport

Rickenbacker Airport’s cargo roller coaster heads up in 2021

Landscape photo of three planes on tarmac on sunny day

Several U.S. airports that cater to cargo saw upswings in volume last year because of huge trade flows and increased reliance on pure freighter aircraft due to the pandemic. Rickenbacker International Airport wasn’t one of them. 

It suffered a 7.7% contraction in throughput that officials attribute to shifting supply chain dynamics and market vagaries. But 2020 also brought new customers, commodities and opportunities that have positioned the central Ohio airport for strong growth this year and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rickenbacker-airports-cargo-roller-coaster-heads-up-in-2021

Rickenbacker Airport sets cargo records in June

A white Emirates plane on tarmac unloading pallets of freight, pulled by a tug under bright blue sky. Emirates is running passenger freighters to Rickenbacker airport in Ohio.

Rickenbacker International Airport, a cargo-dedicated facility near Columbus, Ohio, set an all-time monthly record with 20.3 million pounds of cargo handled in June, eclipsing the previous mark by 4 million pounds with the help of passenger freighters never operated before the COVID crisis.

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority said it also broke a record for international freighter arrivals with 120. In November 2018, Rickenbacker received 109 international all-cargo aircraft that offloaded...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rickenbacker-airport-sets-cargo-records-in-june

Cargo-friendly airports shine during COVID crisis

Big cargo plane being unloaded in the rain at airport.

Secondary airports geared toward cargo are proving their value during the coronavirus pandemic as a faster alternative for delivering goods. 

Airports outside major metro areas have always had a speed advantage over international passenger gateways such as Chicago O’Hare and New York’s JFK airport. An onslaught of freighter aircraft full of medical supplies for the COVID response has magnified congestion at those hubs and forced shippers to consider other options.

Good infrastructure, customer...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/cargo-friendly-airports-shine-during-covid-crisis

COVID ushers in direct cargo flights from Vietnam

Big load of cargo on a pallet at the airport.

High airfreight rates and the urgent need for personal protective equipment have led to more direct all-cargo flights from Vietnam to the U.S., saving shippers time and money, according to logistics companies and airport managers.

Since mid-April, Wen-Parker Logistics has chartered 46 full freighters, the majority of them from Vietnam, carrying face masks for multiple U.S. customers, according to Brady Borycki, executive vice president, global business development. Three more aircraft are...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/covid-ushers-in-direct-cargo-flights-from-vietnam

What a freight-centric airport can do for shippers

As retailers halted international shipments due to COVID-19, cargo-dedicated airports like Rickenbacker International (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio, had to pivot quickly.

When the freight on shipping routes of Rickenbacker’s retail partners like Gap, Eddie Bauer and Lululemon dried up, a pipeline of charter flights began bringing in personal protective equipment (PPE). LCK was one of the very first airports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated to accept relief flights. At the same...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-a-freight-centric-airport-can-do-for-shippers