St. Louis airport cargo volumes remind of TWA days

According to David Lancaster, cargo development director at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), “the prospects for cargo through STL look better than at any time since the closure of TWA’s hub operations in 2002.”    St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) has welcomed a surge in charter cargo flights this year, according to airport officials.
   On Oct. 3, the airport reported a year-to-date, 30 percent increase in charter cargo flights, compared to the same period last year. The average cargo weight on these St. Louis-bound flights has increased four-fold to 45,982 pounds.
   Two of the airport’s heaviest charter cargo flights arrived in September and involved Boeing 747-8F aircraft with freight volumes of 216,681 pounds and 233,000 pounds. The planes were operated by AirBridge Cargo. In addition, the Midwest airport this year saw the arrival of its first Antonov-125 heavy-lift cargo aircraft in five years. 
   Airport officials say the surge in charter cargo flights are driven largely by the supply chain requirements of region’s automotive and aerospace industries.
   “With this upsurge in charter activity, the recent opening of our livestock handling center, the imminent launch of new international services by WOW and the steady growth of non-stop domestic markets, the prospects for cargo through STL look better than at any time since the closure of TWA’s hub operations in 2002,” said David Lancaster, St. Louis airport’s cargo development director, in a statement.
   The former St. Louis-based TWA, which started operations in 1930, had a storied but financially difficult existence. The airline was owned by erratic business tycoon Howard Hughes from 1937 to 1960. Following other CEOs, the company was then held by Carl Icahn from 1985 to 1993. The airline weathered a handful of bankruptcies starting in 1992 and finally closed its doors in late 2001. 
   Today, St. Louis airport sees the operation of more than 260 daily aircraft departures. Its cargo area includes 21,500 square meters of transit sheds, bonded warehouses, high-security warehousing, special handling facilities, freighter parking stands and direct ramp access. However, it continues to struggle for cargo against larger nearby airports, such as Chicago O’Hare and Kansas City.