"No doubt about it: Without big shipper, Pennsylvania airport won't fly"

Sunday, August 19, 2007

No doubt about it: Without big shipper, airport won't fly      
The Hazelton (PA) Standard-Speaker


There's no doubt, according to Gladstone Partners, that a $1.6 billion cargo
airport will be built near Humboldt - possibly by the end of the decade. 

But there's one huge cloud that could keep the project grounded - the lack
of a commitment from a major shipping company to use the airport.

Attorney Robert Powell of Gladstone last week told a Greater Hazleton
Chamber of Commerce audience that the developer is in final negotiations
with a major investor. He also said that engineers have been authorized to
complete the site's master plan, which includes about $20 million worth of
studies. "That's how confident we are," he said.

There's no doubt that Powell's comments were the best news supporters of the
project have heard since May, when Gladstone revealed that the Federal
Aviation Administration issued conditional airspace approval in only three
months.

Since then, legislators pulled $495 million in funding from the state budget
and ordered the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the
project's risks and rewards to the state. And the Hazleton City Authority
expressed concerns that it might not be able to provide enough water for the
airport and the residential growth that it could bring.

There's no doubt that a cargo airport would have a huge impact on the
region's economy. Powell said it would create 4,500 direct jobs with an
average yearly income of $48,000, plus up to 161,000 indirect jobs and 600
to 700 construction jobs. Even if half of that comes to fruition, it's too
good a deal for the area to turn down.

Powell also noted that the FAA's quick approval for using the airspace is a
signal that there's a need for another cargo airport to serve the
northeastern United States. The only problem is that a freight hauler like
FedEx, UPS and/or DHL hasn't yet expressed that need.

There's no doubt that without them, the cargo airport will not fly.

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