Input Stories

Freight forwarders are choosing smaller, regional airports over bigger airports that have typically handled most air cargo, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription).

The change: Smaller airports are gaining more business as freight forwarders are moving away from traditional airport hubs, which are dealing with congestion and delays, costing companies more money and time.

• The airports gaining traffic include Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina and Chicago Rockford International Airport, which is about 70 miles from Chicago O’Hare International.

A variety of tactics: Freight forwarders are not only taking advantage of smaller, less crowded airports, but also hiring their own aircrafts and in some cases even taking control of loading operations, which are handled typically by a third party at large airports.

The big picture: These smaller, secondary airports are expected to continue seeing higher shipping volumes.

• Even though consumer spending decreased in 2022, which caused air cargo volumes to fall, secondary airports continued to receive a lot of interest, according to industry experts.