Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) and Cologne Bonn Airport have signed an airport cooperation agreement to mutually develop the air cargo traffic between their two regions.
RFD, located 68 miles northwest of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, is the 17th largest airport in the United States for air cargo. The annual air cargo throughput for 2020 was 383,915 tonnes, a 17% increase over the previous year. RFD is the second largest UPS hub in North America and a base of operations for Amazon Air. RFD was named the fastest-growing cargo airport in the world in 2019.
CGN is located between the City of Cologne and the former German capital city of Bonn in North Rhine- Westphalia, and represents the heartland of Germany’s urban, business and industry metropolitan development in West Germany. Combined, the two cities are home to approximately 1.4 million people.
CGN is home to top global cargo airlines, including UPS, FedEx, DHL and Amazon Air. The annual air cargo throughput was 863,000 tonnes in 2020.
The partnership will strengthen the knowledge sharing between these two strong cargo service airports and support the collective air cargo reach of each airport. Additionally, the airports expect to work on cutting-edge initiatives to develop high-quality handling systems for ecommerce cargo.
The agreement is a catalyst for both airports to further optimize their burgeoning air cargo business. Joint goals include attracting additional cargo airlines, alleviate on-ground challenges and impact the movement of products quickly to their final destinations.
Additionally, both RFD and CGN agree to support current cargo customers by evaluating processes and procedures.
“The pronounced similarities between our two airports provide a springboard for us to move forward proactively and efficiently to positively impact business, continued economic development and job growth in our regions,” said Mike Dunn, Executive Director, Chicago Rockford International Airport. “With our goals aligned, together we can enhance services and capabilities benefitting our cargo customers.”
Said Johan Vanneste, President & CEO of Cologne Bonn Airport“With the cooperation agreement between Chicago Rockford International Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport we will establish a regular communication and exchange platform. The aforementioned exchange will not only include airport operations, aircraft handling and cargo handling, but also security, marketing and sales as well as air cargo and e-commerce market development.”
Chicago Rockford is a rapidly expanding international air cargo gateway. It is the second largest hub in the United States for UPS, one of the world’s leading express freight integrators, as well as being an important mini hub for Amazon Prime Air.
RFD boasts a scheduled freighter network serving destinations in Germany, Belgium, India, China, South Korea, and Japan from international tier one freight forwarders such as DB Schenker, DSV and SENATOR.
Air cargo carriers such as MAGMA, Atlas Air, National Air Cargo Airlines and ASL, along with a number of charter air cargo airline operators undertake regular rotations. RFD is served by Allegiant Air, which offers seven nonstop destinations. With a catchment area of over 11 million people located within 90 minutes of RFD, the airport remains a popular and growing alternative airport for consumers in the region.
Cologne Bonn Airport is one of the most important commercial airports in Germany and the 8th largest European cargo airport. Geographically, it is located in one of the most densely populated and one of the largest import and export regions in Europe.
About 16 million people live and work within a 100- km radius of the airport. With passenger traffic and air cargo, Cologne Bonn operates two almost equally large business segments.
