Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport
team up to court cargo business
By Katena Carvajales

Hartsfield-Jackson and Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW) recently took an innovative approach to promote their respective cargo operations: They worked together.

Warren Jones, Aviation development manager, and DFW’s assistant vice president of air service development, Bill Frainey, went to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to court the business of Middle Eastern carriers.

“We met with decision-makers from Dubai-based Emirates SkyCargo and Etihad Airways to propose a cargo route from United Arab Emirates through Atlanta to Dallas and back,” Jones said. “We thought it was important, because airlines have been successful at dual (or joint) service for a long time.”

While a decision was not made about the proposed cargo route, the trip proved to be fruitful, Jones said. He returned with powerful information to bolster relationships with the airlines. His findings included how the global recession has affected the airlines and how improvements in Hartsfield-Jackson’s cargo operations can meet their needs.

Cargo volume has been declining, but there are signs that it will bounce back. 

“It’s important for Hartsfield-Jackson to actively promote and acquire new routes,” Jones said. “A weekly cargo flight has an annual economic impact of about $10 million on the regional economy.”

Hartsfield-Jackson’s cargo team was named Air Cargo Week’s Airport of the Year — the first North American airport to win the prestigious award. In 2012 Hartsfield-Jackson will host The International Air Cargo Association’s (TIACA) annual air cargo forum; an estimated 8,000 representatives of the cargo industry are expected to attend.