For Immediate Release
COLUMBUS, OH – As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeps the nation, Rickenbacker International Airport and the local logistics community are poised to connect the healthcare industry with critically needed medical supplies.
Rickenbacker and its partners in the logistics industry are playing a key role in responding to demands for personal protective equipment (PPE), gloves, gowns, goggles, masks, hand sanitizer, ventilators and other desperately needed items in the fight against the disease.
“The logistics industry as a whole is robust and innovative, built to rise to these challenging times. Particularly here in the Columbus Region, we are collaborative with a can-do spirit that keeps goods moving,” said Joe Nardone, President & CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.
Airfreight forwarding companies are rallying to the cause by utilizing their connections to bring PPE into the US. RCS Logistics, which normally ships fashion products, is now receiving three weekly flights of medical supplies out of Shanghai. Wen-Parker Logistics is coordinating additional weekly flights of PPE from Vietnam and Thailand.
“Getting much needed supplies to those on the front line, who are fighting this pandemic, is critical and we are honored to play a part in this important mission,” said Karla Hatley, President, North America for Wen-Parker Logistics.
As one of the world’s only cargo-dedicated airports, Rickenbacker supports the world’s largest aircraft, connecting importers and exporters to an extensive global network. Strategically located within a 10-hour drive of 47% of the US and one-third of Canadian populations, Rickenbacker offers a geographic advantage for shippers and distributors. The airport is part of a robust logistics ecosystem bringing air, ocean, and overland capabilities all into one geographically advantageous area serving the eastern half of the US.
“Rickenbacker Airport is an important national asset. It’s being put to good use to import critical supplies from around the world, to keep businesses and our communities running,” said Kenny McDonald, President and Chief Economic Officer of One Columbus.
As the outbreak spread across the world, relief supplies have been flowing both ways. Initially supplies were sent to Asia. Now that parts of Asia are recovering, relief supplies are coming from Asia into the US. Examples of relief shipments facilitated by Rickenbacker include:
- 83 metric tons of PPE shipped by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from Shanghai to Rickenbacker arrived April 2; a second FEMA flight carrying 88 metric tons of PPE arrived April 5
- Ventilator equipment delivered to Rickenbacker aboard a Kalitta Airlines freighter April 6, then flown out via helicopter to a Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Michigan
- 26 new flights out of Shanghai carrying 5.6 million pounds of freight since March 1, including medical supplies and much needed relief to supply chain disruptions in the global transportation marketplace
- Hundreds of tons of medical supplies shipped from Shanghai aboard three weekly flights by Rickenbacker tenant RCS Logistics, a company that normally ships retail products
- PPE shipped by Wen-Parker Logistics from Vietnam and Thailand to Rickenbacker will commence in the coming weeks
- Midwest USA Chinese Chamber of Commerce leading nonprofit effort to ship respirators, surgical masks, isolation gowns, gloves, goggles, ventilators and other supplies from Shanghai to Rickenbacker
- 187 double-stacked pallets of outgoing medical supplies shipped from Rickenbacker to US Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan via Volga-Dnepr Group charter in late March
Within a few short hours after arriving at Rickenbacker, cargo is unloaded, broken down, staged, and reloaded onto trucks, or in some cases helicopters, before arriving at its final destination.
About CRAA
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority connects Ohio with the world by managing and operating passenger-focused John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH), cargofocused Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK), and general aviation airport Bolton Field (TZR). The highest priority of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority is the health and safety of all who travel through and work at its airport facilities. It is CRAA’s intent to help limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-2019) while keeping airports operational. To learn more about CRAA’s response, visit: flycolumbus.com/updates2020
