Airport exec courts China's cargo carriers

Ahead of Krys Bart in her effort to win direct air-cargo service between Reno and China is a long road filled with innumerable details.

But Bart has modest expectations at least initially.

After three years, the executive director of Reno/Tahoe International Airport says, she'll feel successful if a single carrier offers weekly, direct air-cargo service between northern Nevada and China.

That, she says, will be the base from which the airport can build.

Traveling as a part of a Nevada trade delegation to China last month, Bart met with officials from four cargo-only carriers as well as aviation officials, airport managers and executives of freight-forwarding companies.

Several expressed some interest in inaugurating direct service with Reno, she said last week, and airport authority staff members are beginning to compile the data that carriers have requested.

They've asked, for instance, for estimates of the cost of serving Reno/Tahoe International Airport with a variety of aircraft.

A couple of factors are driving carriers' interest in providing direct service to Reno.

For one, Bart said, cargo carriers that currently fly into San Francisco complain it's expensive to operate at the northern California airport and weather often closes it.

Additionally, shipments often are stalled in the Bay Area's notorious traffic after they arrive by air.

The upshot? Cargo carriers wonder if Reno might provide a less-expensive, low-hassle alternative to San Francisco.

But even more important is the growing importance of export and import trade to northern Nevada's economy.

Bart said about 250 companies in the region are involved in trade with China, and airport officials believe they have a responsibility to nurture trade with Asia and other regions of the world.

"We have to find every way imaginable to support the diversification of northern Nevada's economy," Bart said.

"There are so many companies here that do international business."

After seeing the rapid advances in the Chinese economy, Bart is all the more convinced that the United States and northern Nevada in particular needs to further build its trade relationships with the Asian nation.

Reno/Tahoe International Airport, which in recent months has stepped up its efforts to build international cargo shipments, learned through a new study that much of the international cargo leaving northern Nevada today goes to Los Angeles or San Francisco.

"That added step translates into higher costs," Bart said.

But the study by researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, also found that shippers are unwilling to load international cargo at the Reno airport, knowing it will be transferred to another plane at a major airport.

They worry about delays and losses every time a shipment is handled.

The increased attention on international cargo shipments through Reno/Tahoe International reflects the belief of airport officials that those flights will stimulate the region's economy.

By some estimates, Bart said, a cargo flight provides 10 times more economic benefit to a region than a passenger flight.

And airport officials believe they can add international cargo flights fairly painlessly.

Customs facilities already are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As for runway capacity, Bart said, "We can bring in any airplane that flies."

The airport executive said her efforts are helped, too, by the enthusiasm of Lt.

Gov.

Lorraine Hunt, who led last month's trade mission to China.

"In every thing she did, she supported northern Nevada," Bart said.

"She really promoted Reno and northern Nevada."