"Anchorage Beefing Up Its Airport"

Wednesday, December 7, 2005

Anchorage Beefing Up Its Airport
The Associated Press


HONG KONG (AP) - Anchorage, Alaska, wants to further capitalize on its
strategic location as a transit stop between the U.S. mainland and China by
beefing up its airport, an Alaskan economic development official said
Wednesday.

Anchorage is already a hub for carriers like FedEx and Northwest Airlines,
but the city wants to capture more of the U.S.-China trade by using the 370
acres (148 hectares) of free land at the local airport for storage and
product assembly space, Robert G. Poe, chief executive of the nonprofit
Anchorage Economic Development Corp. said.

Poe said Anchorage also wants to help out with logistical planning.

He said he hopes to encourage more Chinese companies to ship through
Anchorage, a prospect made easier by the increasing number of flights
between the United States and China.

The U.S. is sending 62 more flights per week to China through Anchorage
starting next year, while China will likely send an additional 30 the other
way, according to Poe.

"We want to help Chinese companies do a better job selling to the States,"
Poe said.

Poe estimates that currently 20 percent of Anchorage's air cargo and
logistical work comes from China.

He said Alaska's perceived harsh weather isn't an issue, with the airport
closing only once in the past 15 years for weather reasons.

Air transportation creates lots of jobs in Anchorage, accounting for a tenth
of all jobs in the city, according to Poe.


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