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Delta temporarily shuts down cargo facility at O’Hare airport

Delta Air Lines is using the passenger cabins of airplanes to store extra cargo. (Photo: Delta Air Lines)

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) said its cargo station at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is closed indefinitely and not processing shipments. 

In a message to customers Monday evening, Delta Cargo said the embargo extends to all products originating, transferring or arriving at O’Hare and that inbound and outbound trucks will not be serviced.

Only westbound cargo-only charter flights from London Heathrow International Airport and two-way traffic with Frankfurt International Airport in Germany are exempt from the embargo, the notice said. 

Freight already in the facility will be stored and processed after operations have restarted. Delta said it will notify customers when freight is available for pick up. All storage fees will be waived from June 29 through the restart date.


Delta declined to comment on the reasons for the shut down. O’Hare has been beset by extensive cargo delays in recent weeks because ground handlers and warehouses have been swamped by personal protective equipment and other cargo arriving on a daily procession of all-cargo flights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our customers. We are working to resume operations as soon as possible,” a spokesperson said in a statement provided to FreightWaves.

Many problems could force an airline to close a cargo warehouse, including labor shortages. Most of Delta’s passenger flights at O’Hare typically are narrowbody, domestic aircraft since Chicago is not one of Delta’s main hubs. The backlogs other ground handlers are having in Chicago because they are not used to handling so many international widebody freighters could also be affecting the Delta facility. Delta Cargo has its own team of employees there, the spokesperson said.

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3 Comments

    1. Art

      $600 unemployment bonuses has collapsed labor market for freight handlers.
      Why make $12 / hr working when you can make $25 / hr unemployed watching Netflix and shopping amazon.

      It’s a miracle anyone is working at the fast food drive thrus.

Comments are closed.

Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, he was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. Eric is based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached for comments and tips at [email protected]