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Move over, FedEx: Indianapolis airport officials are considering building a smaller version of that company's 2-million-square-foot hub here, one that could accommodate several cargo carriers from around the globe.
The "international air cargo facility" could be up to several hundred thousand square feet in size and could cost tens of millions of dollars to build. It would be used to lure cargo carriers who now tend to focus on larger airports such as Chicago's O'Hare, where nearly 30 cargo carriers congregate.
"We want to move those carriers down here," said Kirk Lovell, air service director for BAA Indianapolis, which operates Indianapolis International Airport.
In recent years, airport officials have touted Indianapolis as a cheaper place to operate. Save $7 million a year in fuel by not having to taxi as far, or $240,000 in annual landing fees on each Boeing 747 cargo freighter.
It turns out cheap isn't enough. A recurring theme during conversations with carriers in Asia and Europe is, "We need to see your facilities. What kind of facilities can you offer us?" said Lovell, who just returned from a trip to China.
He and Airport Director Patrick Dooley have been globetrotting in recent years to woo international cargo carriers. There's good reason.
Korean Air, for example, has boosted the number of freighters to New York and Miami. Air China, Cathay Pacific, Japan Air Lines and Singapore Airlines have a growing cargo presence at New York's John F. Kennedy International, reports Air Cargo World.
Airport managers here don't necessarily want to compete with the East Coast, but they want to at least become a stronghold for international cargo flowing in and out of the Midwest.
"A lot [of carriers] are bypassing the traditional West Coast gateway cities" such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, said Tom Phillips, a principal of Seattle-based air cargo consultancy Keiser Phillips Associates.
One thing driving that trend is technological improvements in...