"Erie, Pa., German Airports Create Logo, Name Project Manager for 'Air Bridge'"

Friday, June 20, 2003

Erie, Pa., German Airports Create Logo, Name Project Manager for 'Air
Bridge'
The Erie (PA) Times-News


Dan Adamus last week watched trucks move cargo between Poland and
Germany and saw opportunity for Erie.

"We traveled to the Polish border, and we saw miles of trucks backed up,
moving cargo in and out of Eastern Europe," said.

Imagine that ending up in Erie, he said.

Adamus is a consultant working on an "air bridge" that some hope will
create a direct link between Erie and Germany and capture some of that
cargo.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Adamus said. "There are
companies ... interested in doing business around the world and they are
currently restricted by not having a way to get products across the
ocean in a rapid and efficient manner." "Air bridge" is the term local
officials use to describe hoped-for direct cargo flights between Erie
International Airport and Cottbus-Drewitz Airport, which is located in
eastern Germany, near the border with Poland.

Adamus, accompanied by Erie International Airport Director Kelly
Fredericks and retired Erie Aviation International executive Hans
Buecken, is in Germany working on plans for the air bridge, and he said
the idea is taking shape.

The public and private partners involved in the effort to simultaneously
develop both Erie and Cottbus airports have introduced a corporate
identity for the project: Erie -- Drewitz International.

They've also appointed Adamus as project manager and Buecken as the
project's liaison and he will be stationed in Germany as a result.

Finally, they have approved a logo that includes the American, European
Union and German flags, as well as flags of Pennsylvania and Erie County
and the crests of the German state of Brandenburg, and the Spree Neisse
District.

"It's real," said Fredericks in a phone call from Germany. "This project
is going to happen." "Is it guaranteed? No," he continued. "(But) do I
think that we can connect the dots and make it happen? Absolutely.

"We are in the driver's seat," he said.

The Erie Municipal Airport Authority and the municipal owners of the
Cottbus-Drewitz Airport are the public partners in the venture.

Working with them are two private companies.

One is Erie Aviation Inc. and its president, Harry Staszewski. Erie
Aviation is a business based at Erie International that represents 16
European suppliers and provides repair services and replacement
components to airlines flying Airbus aircraft.

The other partner is FFK and its president, Frederich Kochan. FFK is the
second-largest privately held environmental service company in the state
of Brandengurg.

"We find ourselves at a unique moment in history," Adamus said, noting
the availability of the Cottbus-Drewitz airport, the number of former
Soviet Block nations who will soon join the European Union, and the
development efforts underway at Erie International.

Fredericks said the intent of the Airport Authority is to attract
companies and business to Erie, creating jobs in the process.

An agreement signed earlier this year gives Erie officials exclusive
rights to developing the air bridge project, provided that they can
prepare a comprehensive business plan for the commercialization of the
Cottbus-Drewitz Airport by Dec. 31. Local officials plan a return trip
to Germany this fall to present the business plan.


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