Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is positioning itself as an alternative to congested cargo hubs by offering dedicated handling, flexible facilities and room for expansion.

The airport can provide customized services and faster turn times for freighter operators and forwarders moving specialized cargo, GSP Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tom Tyra says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded during a recent site visit.

“If you’re doing an all-freight operation and it’s a unique build, you have the full focus of our team working on every single operation,” Tyra says. “It’s 100% focus on every operation.”

GSP established its cargo operation in 2016 and opened an 110,000-square-foot facility three years later. A subsequent expansion increased the building to 160,000 square feet, while the airport doubled the adjoining ramp to about 35 acres, enough to accommodate six 747s simultaneously.

The airport’s master plan provides space to double its cargo facilities as demand increases, Tyra says. “We’re well-positioned for the future,” he says. “If air cargo continues to expand in this area, and particularly across the Southeast, we’re well-positioned to take opportunities as they arise.”

Customer needs

Cerulean Commercial Aviation, GSP’s aviation services operation, handles cargo ranging from automotive components and construction equipment to pharmaceuticals, flowers and live animals. Its ability to adapt facilities and handling processes to individual shipments differentiates GSP from larger gateways, Commercial Aviation Services Manager Kelly Wiggs says.

“Our model is customized,” Wiggs says. “We can customize for your customer. We can customize for the freight forwarder. We can do things that you might not do at a traditional hub like Atlanta, Chicago or JFK.”

GSP is also exploring partnerships with secondary airports in Canada and South America as it works to attract additional scheduled freighter service. The airport sees an opportunity to connect South American perishables with markets in the United States and Canada, Tyra says.

One of the challenges for GSP will be to continue growing while not losing its ability to customize and personalize its service.

“We can get a lot bigger,” Tyra says. “But we want to need to do it in a way that we don't lose track of what's got us here.”

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Tyra and Wiggs discuss GSP’s cargo facilities, specialized handling capabilities and strategy for attracting freighter operators and forwarders.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport expects its express operations to remain steady while new international passenger services create opportunities to increase belly cargo traffic.

The presence of other major express hubs nearby limits the potential for freighter growth at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Chief Business and Innovation Officer Ted Kaplan says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded during a recent site visit.

“We’re kind of surrounded by existing national and regional cargo hubs,” Kaplan says. “There likely will not be an opportunity for significant growth with Amazon, FedEx and UPS, given that their networks already have a number of large hubs within relative proximity to our airport.”

CLT could support incremental growth by replacing or renovating cargo facilities that were designed for operators twenty to thirty years ago, Kaplan says.

“What really came out of [a 2018 cargo study] was where we could significantly improve and possibly expand incrementally,” he says. “The opportunity would be to figure out how to deliver newer facilities that UPS, Amazon and FedEx could transition into and then demolish their old facilities.”

CLT has sites that could accommodate new cargo warehouses with airside access if demand materializes. However, the airport would need a long-term commitment from an operator before making a significant investment, Kaplan says.

The airport sees more immediate potential in attracting international passenger service that can generate additional belly cargo traffic. For example, Etihad Airways’ new A350-1000 service from Abu Dhabi (AUH), launched in March, has already increased CLT’s cargo throughput, Kaplan says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Kaplan discuss CLT’s express operations, cargo infrastructure and opportunities to expand its cargo business.

New lessor Thrust Capital is looking to capitalize on the Dash 8-Q400’s speed, range and container capacity by bringing large-cargo-door variants to the regional freighter market.

Founder and Chief Executive Nico von Appen established the company after identifying an overlooked opportunity for the Q400, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“I looked into it more myself because I was really convinced by the Q400 as a freighter, especially with the large cargo door,” von Appen says. “I was in contact with De Havilland and some regional lessors to talk about feedstock.”

Thrust Capital plans to market the converted aircraft as the Regional Eco Wing Freighter and hopes to begin offering two units in 2027. Von Appen has identified four potential aircraft and expects feedstock availability to improve over the next few years.

The Q400’s performance and capacity could give it an advantage in overnight feeder operations, he says.

“There are analyses showing that you can operate one or two more flights per night compared with an ATR,” von Appen says. “You can get up to two more LD3 containers. You’re faster, you have a better climb rate and you have the power.”

De Havilland is supporting Thrust Capital’s efforts to bring the approved large-cargo-door modification to market, while von Appen is in discussions with qualified MRO providers and prospective operators, he says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear von Appen discuss the Dash 8-Q400 conversion market, feedstock availability and his plans for Thrust Capital.