(Pictured from left to right) Ken Ryan, Director of Business Development and Cargo, RFD, Peter Barry, VP Business Development - Americas, PIK, Shannon Auld, Airport Security Supervisor, RFD, Nico Le Roux, Business Development Director, PIK, and Zack Oakley, Executive Director, RFD
The agreement, which aims to strengthen the trade lane between Prestwick and Rockford, was signed at the TIACA Air Cargo Forum on Tuesday 12 November.
The airports will initially focus on aerospace cargo as they both have several high-value aerospace manufacturers operating within their catchment areas.
They will also focus on e-commerce as Prestwick is Royal Mail Group’s international e-commerce gateway for the UK, and Rockford is an established e-commerce hub.
Nico Le Roux, Business Development Director at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, says, “We are looking forward to getting underway with this new partnership with Rockford, and working with another regional cargo hub to grow this high-potential trade lane.”
Zack Oakley, Executive Director of Chicago Rockford International Airport says the Chicago-UK trade lane has over 26,000 tons of cargo annually and is underserved by direct connections to Scotland.
He says, “Developing the air cargo connections between Prestwick and Rockford aims to rectify this, while supporting the emerging growth factors for air cargo across the perishables, automotive, pharma and e-commerce sectors.”
