The news keeps getting better at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). In late July, Cathay Pacifi c Cargo added two new 747-400 freighter frequencies to DFW. In late August, the carrier added a seventh rotation that brings daily service between HongKong (HKG) and DFW.
“This brings a total of 42 weekly Asian freighters to the best cargo airport in the world,” exclaims Bill Frainey, assistant vice president of air service development at DFW.
Earlier this April, Lufthansa added a fourth fl ight to Frankfurt (FRA) with an MD11 freighter. This, coupled with last year’s debut of Air France 747 freighter weekly CDG-MEX-DFW-CDG triangle service, means there are more connecting cargo opportunities to the Middle East, Africa and the IndianSub-Continent.
Last year, fi ve major international cargo airlines launched or expanded freighter service at DFW. Four of those were Asian freighter airlines: Air China Cargo (3x weekly DFW-PEK 747 freighter service); China Cargo Airlines (6x weekly DFW-PVG 747 freighter service); Cathay Pacifi c Cargo (a fourth weekly DFW-HKG 747 freighter); and Singapore Airlines Cargo (a fi fth weekly freighter – its third weekly around-theworld service on a SIN-MFM-DFW-BRUDXB- SIN routing, adding a third directconnection to Dubai).
Frainey attributes DFW’s attraction to DFW’s strong local market that continues to drive an amazing 28.8 percent growth rate between China and DFW, and North Texas, which is one of the fasting growing markets in the United States and the fi fth largest US-Asia market. “More than 6 million people in the region surround the airport,” he says. “Only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have larger metropopulations.”
More than 50 million people can be reached from the DFW region overnight by truck or rail. Nearly 98 percent of the US populations can be reached by truck or rail within 48 hours. The DFW region is equal distant from the US East and West Coast, and is also the only place in the US where fi ve major interstate superhighways converge.“This makes it an ideal distribution hubsince it facilitates the necessary roadfeeder service networks,” he says.Twenty-two Fortune 500 companiesare located in the DFW region; 56 inTexas. Consequently, between 2002 and2006, total air cargo volumes grew 13.8percent annually, exports to Asia grew15.8 percent and imports from Asiagrew 12.8 percent.
“China is even more impressive with average annual total air cargo growth of 28.8 percent between 2002 and 2006,” Frainey adds. Exports to China from DFW grew at an astounding 65.9 percent average annual rate while imports grew 25.2 percent per year.
While Frainey cannot make any new service announcements yet, DFW is optimistic for the second half of 2007 right through 2010. DFW has almost 400,000 square feet of space that opened in 2006 with the ability to handle the new Airbus A380. DFW is building a perimeter taxiway system that will permit aircraft to taxi around the ends of the four main north-south parallel runways, rather than having to wait to cross active runways. – Karen E. Thuermer
