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FREIGHT INDUSTRY BUOYS BILLINGS LOGAN AIRPORT
BY KELLY MCCANDLESS, DIRECTOR; COMMUNICATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
When I think of an airport, some pretty consistent imagery comes to mind: crowds of people, suit cases clicking down wide, tile thoroughfares, security, and the general hustle and bustle associated with travel. I imagine planes with every seat filled, leaving little room for even an elbow or a knee to relax. And I think of the process that comes with air travel: locating the right airline, the correct gate, the assigned seat, and then the connecting gate, baggage claim, taxi pick-up, etc.
Post (or mid) pandemic, the emotions felt when thinking of all these things have changed significantly. Instead of the excitement spurred by the anticipation of travel, many have paused plans to adventure far beyond their homes or communities. Airports themselves don’t actually have the hustle and bustle we’re used to seeing. Passenger air travel has dropped significantly, hopefully for only a short time. Despite the drop in passenger travel, the Billings Logan International Airport has stayed busy through the pandemic. Not in transporting people, but in transporting packages. “Between FedEx and UPS, Billings lands 8-9 freight planes each day,” explained Billings’ Director of Aviation and Transit, Kevin Ploehn. “During peak season, in November and December, they will add 2 – 4 planes each day.” He also shared that on any given day, 50 – 100 people work at the Billings Airport to offload, sort and distribute the incoming and outgoing freight. with a metric called ‘landed weight.’ Freight has, so far, kept our landed weight numbers even with last year,” detailed Ploehn.
What does that mean? It means the airport is continuing to receive landing fees, Edward’s Jet Center is continuing to fuel those planes, and the companies who employ people to work the freight continue to pay employees – all things that would not be supporting our economy right now without the freight.
The transport of freight occurs in a process not terribly different from that of transporting people. The planes, the largest of which are 757’s or Airbus 300’s, are the same as passenger versions of these planes, but the insides are wide open. Cargo is loaded in canisters organized by destination, so it can be handled in much the same way people are when they land and seek a connection. A freight plane landing in Denver, for example, will offload canisters to different planes to connect to their final destination.
“Our position as a hub for such a large region combined with our highway system makes Billings a very strong freight destination,” said Ploehn. The freight is easily offloaded to either long-haul trucks or smaller planes (through Alpine Aviation or Richland Aviation) and
transported around the region. This strong positioning has made freight a key part of the airport’s long-term planning. “10-15 years ago, as the consumer freight industry began ramping up, we expanded the cargo ramps for both FedEx and UPS, a move that has allowed us to grow with the demand. And, we have the plan in place to further expand these areas in the next 2-3 years to continue to meet demand and serve the freight companies that rely on Billings,” Ploehn said.
The upside to our strong freight industry is clear: strong jobs, consistent commerce, quick delivery turnaround for both consumers and businesses (who can limit their inventory on hand with quick delivery times), and additional grant funds available to Billings through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). All these things add strength at a time when airports across the country are in a sit and wait pattern. But is there a downside? According to Ploehn, the answer is no.
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