Apr - May 19

ABC doubles Rickenbacker capacity

AirBridgeCargo reinforces its position at the US ‘cargo-friendly’ airport with a second weekly B747F flight

A year after entering the Columbus, Ohio market, AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) is expanding its scheduled freighter operations at Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) to a twice-weekly frequency, doubling its air freight capacity at the cargo-specialist airport.

The carrier introduced Rickenbacker into its global network in April 2018 and has so far seen stable demand for the maindeck capacity of its Boeing 747 freighter services from growing trade flows to and from the area, and is confident of customers supporting additional capacity.

Sergey Lazarev, general director of AirBridgeCargo Airlines, commented: “In 2018, our volumes tipped over 5,000 tonnes to and from LCK and we feel confident that our performance and customer feedback means our second weekly flight will also be well supported. We feel that our weekly operations to and from Columbus greatly benefit our customers as we operate to this cargo-friendly airport, providing dedicated, high-quality services and leveraging the export-import volumes of the region.”

The airline is planning to introduce its second scheduled weekly rotation from April, complementing its existing Thursday flights from Columbus and offering customers wider connectivity options.

Joseph Nardone, president and CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which operates Rickenbacker, commented: “AirBridgeCargo’s expansion is further proof that Rickenbacker is one of the industry’s new global gateways. By moving imports and exports through Rickenbacker, businesses can eliminate hours and costs from their supply chain, creating better efficiencies and higher profits.”

Located in Columbus, Ohio, Rickenbacker International Airport claims to be “one of the world’s few cargo-dedicated airports” and is within a one-day drive to nearly half of the US population and one-third of the Canadian population. It has been one of the only US cargo-specialist non-metropolitan airports, outside of the main integrator hubs, to have achieved any significant cargo growth in the last 15 years – although the arrival of Amazon Air has provided a stimulus to some other US regional airports in the last two or three years.

“With regularly scheduled import and export service via AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo and Etihad Cargo, Rickenbacker specialises in expedited services that move cargo between planes and trucks faster and more consistently than other gateway airports,” the airport pointed out. “FedEx and UPS also are onsite to provide domestic cargo service, which is critical to growing e-commerce activity.”

ABC is one of the world’s fastest-growing cargo airlines, with an expanding route network that connects customers in the largest trans-regional markets of Asia, Europe and North America, covering more than 30 major cargo gateways.

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