Hamilton International Airport weathers pandemic storm with its cargo service
NEWS Jul 20, 2020 by Kevin Werner The Sachem
Hamilton International Airport has been buffeted by the coronavirus pandemic, but officials say so far, the facility is weathering the economic storm.
While the airport has seen its passenger service plummet by 92 per cent, its cargo service continues to rise through April, May and June during the heart of the pandemic shutdown.
Dina Carlucci, director of marketing and communications for the airport, said the facility’s cargo service has been a growth opportunity over the years and especially so during the pandemic. Airport officials are witnessing more goods being moved because of e-commerce as people are prevented from going out to shop, just-in-time delivery systems and the need for medical supplies across the province.
“Cargo has been our mainstay,” said Carlucci. “It has grown year by year.”
She said company officials have said the current cargo business is similar to the Christmas season for goods.
The airport, which is known for being Canada’s largest overnight express cargo hub, has seen a continued increase in cargo service from 438,924 kilograms in 2016 to 525,161 kg in 2018. Carlucci said the airport has seen an 11 per cent increase in cargo service in the second quarter in 2020 compared to a year ago.
Flamborough-Glanbrook Progressive Conservative MPP Donna Skelly said the airport is a critical link in Ontario’s supply chain.
“If you are going through the United States, you have to access Hamilton,” said Skelly. “We have the busiest airport in the country. We need to have the infrastructure in place to move those goods. We have to address the needs and that means moving these goods on our highways.”
The airport has capitalized on its cargo business over the years in an effort to diversify the business with the building of a $12-million 70,000-square-foot cargo centre, which was completed in 2015 and anchored by CargoJet. DHL Express Canada has broken ground at the airport on a $100-million expanded sorting facility. The new facility will be four times the size of the current 200,000-square-feet building.
Carlucci said construction on the facility took a pause at the start of the pandemic, but building has resume and it is “back on track.”
In addition, KF Aerospace is expected to complete this year a $30-million expansion of its aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, adding 150,000 square feet. The facility will allow the company to provide shops, classroom and hangar space for Mohawk College’s Aircraft Maintenance Engineer programs.
But it’s the airport’s passenger service that has taken a nosedive during this second quarter after seeing nearly triple the growth.
In 2019 the number of passengers topped 955,373, a 187 per cent increase from 2016. However, the pandemic has dramatically transformed air travel and the Hamilton International Airport is feeling its effects. For the second quarter of this year, passenger trips have plunged to 18,485 compared to about 237,000 passengers from a year ago.
At Toronto's Pearson Airport, which recently announced the elimination of 500 jobs, passenger numbers are now at 1996 levels with service levels declining 97 per cent in April 2020 compared to a year ago.
With the federal government closing its border to the United States to non-essential travel — and no idea when it will reopen — and limiting travel to other destinations, Hamilton airport is only seeing some passenger service to Canadian destinations such as Halifax, Abbotsford, B.C., Edmonton and Calgary, said Carlucci.
“They are performing better,” she said, over the last few weeks.
Carlucci said it is too early to say how the passenger market will do for the year as WestJet, Swoop and Sunwing decide how to navigate the transformations that have significantly changed the travel industry.
Airlines and industry analysts are calling the current aviation period the “darkest period ever,” even worse than in the aftermath of 9/11, SARS and the 2008 financial crisis. Travellers, they say, are reluctant to get on an airplane and there are limited places for them to go. They say it could take up to three years to reach 2019 levels.
“The reason?” says Carlucci. “Confidence level, and the numerous restrictions. They are a deterrent.”
As Pearson eliminates jobs, the Hamilton International Airport is still holding strong with its 50 employees. Carlucci said the airport has applied to the federal government’s wage subsidy program.
“We are a very lean and small operation,” she said.
To provide a comforting atmosphere, Hamilton International Airport, she said, has stepped up its cleaning and safety protocols, installing physical distancing measures and trying to limit the number of people to 50 in the terminal. It helps when the airport has no flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays, she said.
The airport has also installed Plexiglas dividers, introduced sanitizing stations, and put up additional signs for customers. Carlucci said the airport was recommending people wear masks, but Hamilton approved a bylaw July 17 that mandated the wearing of masks indoors.
“It is safety first,” she said.
by Kevin Werner
https://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-st...cargo-service/
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