Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Welcomes Five New Cargo Carriers
Governor Mike Dunleavy, at the podium, celebrates air cargo growth with Transportation Commissioner Ryan Anderson at left; and to the right of Dunleavy, Deputy Airport Director Teri Lindseth, ANC Atlas regional chief pilot Tyler Cresswell, and Deputy Transportation Commissioner Katherine Keith.
Photo Credit: Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) is already a global air cargo hub, thanks to its location midway along the great circle between East Asia and the Lower 48. More air cargo operators are making ANC a home away from home: five global haulers are joining the ranks of cargo carriers that put Anchorage on their route maps.
Connecting Anchorage to the World
Fifty-two cargo airlines touched down at ANC between January and August of 2024, with fourteen of those making fewer than ten stops in that period, according to ANC records. The new cargo carriers taking to the ANC runways include Mexico-based Awesome Cargo; Central Airlines of China; Belgian carrier ASL Air Cargo; German carrier Aerologic, a subsidiary of global shipper DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo; and France-based CMA CGM Air Cargo.
Airport officials expect the new carriers to raise the annual landed weight by 149.5 million pounds (67.8 tonnes), which would be the highest level ever recorded for ANC. Even prior to the announcement, air cargo activity at ANC saw a 4.9 percent year-over-year increase in cargo activity between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, with an additional 2 percent growth projected for 2025.
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November 2024
“Anchorage has always been a key player in the world of air cargo, and the arrival of these new carriers underscores our importance in global logistics. They join a group of loyal and long-term cargo operators who have been with us for decades, reinforcing our reputation as a trusted partner in international trade,” says Ryan Anderson, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Commissioner (DOT&PF). “We’re excited to continue expanding our operations and providing unmatched service to our growing network of cargo operators.”
According to ANC officials, Awesome Cargo began operating from ANC in July, using Anchorage as a critical transit point between Yinchuan Hedong International Airport in Yinchuan, China, and its base in Mexico City, Mexico. Central Airlines of China began service in September on a route that travels between Shenzen, China, and Ontario, California. ASL Air Cargo flies its 747-400F several times a month on a route between China’s Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. CMA CGM Air Cargo has also begun flying its A330-200F on two routes, one between Hong Kong and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas and Hong Kong International Airport and Hong Kong and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
“We are excited to welcome five new cargo carriers to Anchorage International Airport, a significant milestone in our strategic plan to continue expanding cargo operations. These new carriers represent a crucial part of our long-term vision to support ANC as a global cargo hub,” says Governor Mike Dunleavy. “As we invest in building state-of-the-art cargo infrastructure, from additional warehousing to improved ramp space, these new operators will benefit from our ongoing commitment to supporting the needs of modern air freight.”
DOT&PF ranks ANC as second busiest in the United States for landed cargo weight (after the FedEx hub in Memphis, Tennessee) and fifth for cargo throughput. Some cargo shippers, such as Alaska Central Express, United Parcel Service, Cathay Pacific, Atlas Air, Kalitta Air, and FedEx, made more than 2,000 stops between January and August, with Atlas Air topping the list at 4,087 ANC stops.
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