The fact that the majority of cargo is carried in the bellies of passenger aircraft means that all-cargo airports will at best remain niche players. However, that has not stopped Frankfurt Airport from investing in one - Hahn Airport.

Cargo airports are certainly no alternative to traditional combi airports, says Andreas Helfer, general manager cargo development for Frankfurt Airport, but operations such as Hahn have a role to play alongside their established big neighbours.

Service

Interestingly, the rationale for a cargo airport is not all aviation-related, he told the Air Freight Asia 2000 audience. Often located in under-developed areas, a cargo airport can provide cheaper labour and associated costs favouring start-up businesses. Greater flexibility exists in such things as landing slots, ground handling options, commodities transported, space and curfews.

"Services must be tailored to take advantage of these factors," he warns. A valuable plus for a cargo airport is the opportunity to experiment with innovative services such as multi-modal options - as well as getting into the passenger handling business with charters and niche scheduled services.

Dougall Agan of Stirling Airports International, operator of Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) at the former George Air Force Base, sees the factors driving cargo airports as an expanding customer base, greater purchasing power, rising customer expectations and lack of capacity in combi airports.

SCLA benefits from a ready-made and equipped complex taken over from the military and located about one and a half hours from LAX.

Dedicated

All-cargo airports are dedicated to prioritising the efficiency of time and cost for cargo movement, he says.

They offer the air freight community strategic advantages, more options, better time and cost pictures and agility - the ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

The all-cargo airport is "not a replacement but an addition to conventional airports," he says, and when seen in that light, has a promising future.

Source: Flight Daily News