Schumer Announces Steps Forward In Campaign To Transform Niagara Airport New International Cargo Center

Schumer Announces Steps Forward In Campaign To Transform Niagara Airport New International Cargo Center

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced new steps in the campaign to transform Niagara Falls International Airport into an international cargo center. After initially securing $1 million for a new apron terminal for the airport under the Fiscal Year 07 Senate Appropriations Bill for Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, Schumer secured agreement for initial talks between Polar Air, an international cargo company, and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) and also CSX Corporation and Patrick Whalen, founder and steward of the regional the Come to America Trade Initiative.

These are the initial steps to exploit Western New York's assets - including geography, rail, water, interstate highway and air infrastructure - to move cargo and make Niagara Falls Airport into a stronger link in the broader ‘Come to America' Initiative. In June, Schumer hosted a summit with NFTA, ‘Come to America', Niagara Cargo Port and community and business leaders to collaborate and discuss new cargo growth and international trade opportunities for the airport and region.

"These two meetings are important steps forward in the to make this region a world-class, job producing cargo hub," Schumer said. "These meetings will establish relationships between Polar Air, CSX and local leaders, and can lead to progress. With the addition of a growing an air cargo center at Niagara International Airport, the region is poised to make the most of its strategic location to make it a definitive international and intermodal trade center. This will mean new energy, new jobs and new investment in Western New York."

Schumer announced that Polar Air, a subsidiary of Atlas Air, has agreed to meet with officials from the NFTA to discuss bringing its services to the airport. Polar Air operates scheduled all-cargo services with Boeing 747 aircraft, reaching destinations in North and South America, Europe and Asia. In addition, the CSX Corporation has agreed to meet with the ‘Come to America' Initiative to discuss cooperative efforts rail support for moving cargo in and through the Buffalo-Niagara region. CSX operates rail lines throughout the eastern seaboard, as well as Ontario, Canada. In July, Schumer announced that he had initially secured $1 million for Niagara Falls International Airport for the construction of a new terminal apron. The apron includes two aircraft parking positions, storm sewers, de-icing fluid control, fire protection, airfield lighting, security fencing and signage, all of which will support aircraft access to the new NFIA terminal. The Niagara Falls International Airport handles international charter and cargo service and functions as the reliever airport for the region. The lengthy runway enables it to accommodate all commercial aircraft. The new state-of-the-art terminal and apron facilities will provide for efficient, customer friendly aircraft arrival and processing.

At the summit in June, Schumer said that Niagara Airport's transformation into a cargo center would be final step in making Western New York an intermodal cargo hub by interweaving rail, truck, sea and air shipping. Western New York is the crossroads of freight rail traffic in the Northeast, with CSX Corporation, Norfolk Southern, and Western New York-Pennsylvania Railroad steadily increased shipments through the area. The region is also home to a major border highway crossing, with12 new local shippers continuously adding thousands of trucks to the region.

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=266063&&year=2006&