Air cargo volume at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago grew by 8.5 percent year over year during the first half of 2014.
In June alone, O’Hare’s cargo tonnage increased by 11 percent over the same month in 2013. With over 738,500 tonnes of cargo handled for the first six months of 2014, O’Hare is on track to reach approximately 1.5 million tonnes for the year.
“Air cargo creates billions of dollars in economic activity and supports thousands of jobs in the Chicago region,” Rosemarie S. Andolino, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation, said. “This significant increase in cargo volume at our global gateway is a positive sign of recovery and growth following the global economic recession over the last few years that impacted cargo traffic at airports around the globe. With the added capacity created from the O’Hare Modernization Program and the development of new cargo facilities at the airport, Chicago O’Hare is well positioned to be one of the world’s leading hubs for air cargo.”
Nearly 30 freighter carriers serve O’Hare. In fact, Chicago is the leading U.S. gateway for air exports to China, representing more than 25 percent of the entire market.
With about US$115 billion (86 billion euros) worth of freight handled annually, O’Hare said it ranks second among all U.S. airports for the monetary value of its air cargo.