ROCKFORD, Ill., USA and COLOGNE, GERMANY (March 15, 2021) – Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) and Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), announced they have signed an Airport Cooperation Agreement to mutually develop the air cargo traffic between their two regions.

The partnership will strengthen the knowledge sharing between these two strong cargo service airports and support the collective air cargo reach of each airport. Additionally, the airports expect to work on cutting-edge initiatives to develop high-quality handling systems for ecommerce cargo.

Airport Overviews

RFD, located 68 miles northwest of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, is the 17^th largest airport in the United States for air cargo with more than 2.7 billion pounds (1.2 metric tons) of landed weight in 2020. It is the second largest UPS hub in North America and a base of operations for Amazon Air. RFD was named the fastest-growing cargo airport in the world in 2019.

CGN is located between the City of Cologne and the former German capital city of Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia, and represents the heartland of Germany’s urban, business and industry metropolitan development in West Germany. Combined, the two cities are home to approximately 1.4 million people. CGN is home to top global cargo airlines including UPS, FedEx, DHL and Amazon Air. The annual air cargo throughput was 863,000 metric tons in 2020.

Cooperation Agreement

“The pronounced similarities between our two airports provides a springboard for us to move forward proactively and efficiently to positively impact business, continued economic development and job growth in our regions,” said Mike Dunn, Executive Director, RFD. “With our goals aligned, together we can enhance services and capabilities benefitting our cargo carriers.”

The agreement between RFD and CGN is a partnership unique to the industry and progressive in its approach to further manage the increasing needs for worldwide ecommerce and cargo carriers.

“With the cooperation agreement between Chicago Rockford International Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport we will establish a regular communication and exchange platform. The aforementioned exchange will not only include airport operations, aircraft handling and cargo handling, but also security, marketing and sales as well as air cargo and e-commerce market development,” explained Johan Vanneste, Chair of the Management Board of CGN.

About the Cologne Bonn Airport
Cologne Bonn Airport is one of the most important commercial airports in Germany and top-10 European cargo airport. Geographically, it is located in one of the most densely populated and one of the largest import and export regions in Europe. About 16 million people live and work within a 100- kilometer radius of the airport. With passenger traffic and air cargo, Cologne Bonn operates two almost equally large business segments. The Airport is the center of mobility and logistics and is of outstanding importance for the people and companies in North Rhine-Westphalia. Visit www.cologne-bonn-airport.com and www.cologne-bonn-cargo.com.