You really are marketing to three distinct groups who all have a different interest in this thing. There's a tremendous amount of follow-up work with shippers and freight forwarders and that's where a lot of airports drop the ball. Be prepared to show shippers and freight forwarders how you are going to meet their cargo-handling needs, says Clancy. Look at where your airport is located geographically and develop your facilities accordingly. The four-state region of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska supplies about 10 percent of the nations cattle, swine and horse exports.
Intermodal capabilities are important in developing air cargo as well.
Kansas City is among the country's top 10 trucking centers and the second busiest rail hub, notes Assistant Aviation Director Turner. Rail service could be brought onto the airport from a spur a few miles away. The only missing link has been the international air service. Were an airport that has the capability to bring all that together. Meanwhile, Scherer and Turner are aggressively selling Kansas City to the world as an alternative international cargo gateway with few of the problems of larger hubs.