Beginning this September, shippers and forwarders will have the opportunity to load exports directly in Columbus and utilize Rickenbacker International Airport as a gateway to the international destinations served by Cathay Pacific Cargo.
Cargolux also intends to begin exporting from Columbus in the near future.
Air Cargo World reported on Rickenbacker’s efforts to launch export service.
Cargo warehousing specialist’s Consolidated Aviation Services (CAS) will provide the additional import and export warehousing services at Rickenbacker. This will be the first entry into the Columbus market for CAS.
“We are delighted to be opening operations in Columbus and see outstanding potential for this market to grow quickly,” Guido DiGiandomenico, vice president sales for CAS, said. “We want to be part of that growth.”
CAS will lease on-airport warehouse space at Rickenbacker to execute this new service.
“This new export loading capability allows shippers and their logistics service providers the ability to load cargo directly in Columbus offering connections to Asia and Europe that have never been served directly out of this market,” said Elaine Roberts, president and CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, operator of Rickenbacker International Airport.
Cathay Pacific and Cargolux each operate three weekly freighter flights to Rickenbacker from Hong Kong International Airport with U.S.-bound imports. Now, shippers and freight forwarders will also be able to load freight exports onto these aircraft for routing through JFK Airport and onto Hong Kong via Cathay Pacific Airways and, in the near future onto Luxembourg via Cargolux.
“The Columbus region is developing a complete package of logistics and distribution capabilities,” said Kenny McDonald, CEO of Columbus 2020, the region’s economic development organization. “Forwarders no longer have to truck freight to distant gateways, and the Columbus Region becomes even better positioned as a center for global trade and investment because of this announcement. We encourage all regional shippers and freight forwarders to support these new services.”