ROCKFORD — The planes that land at and take off from Chicago Rockford International Airport are carrying more cargo and people than ever.
The landed weight of cargo tripled in the past five years, the airport said Wednesday in a news release. It grew nearly 11% last year from 2018, to more than 2.3 billion pounds of cargo traveling through the airport.
RFD is home to the second-largest UPS hub in North America. Amazon also has recently expanded operations at the airport.
The airport is becoming what its leaders envisioned many years ago — a Midwest hub for e-commerce. Industry leaders have taken notice of Rockord’s air freight boom. RFD was named the world’s fastest-growing cargo airport in 2018 among airports that handled more than 250 metric tons of air cargo, according to a report from Airports Council International.
Passenger service at the airport has grown, too. Nearly 250,000 travelers passed through the airport in 2019, the largest annual number ever and a 7.5% increase from 2018.
The airport is served by two passenger airlines, Allegiant Air and Apple Vacations.
Georgette Braun: 815-987-1331; [email protected]; @GeorgetteBraun
