DOT 87-04
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Thursday, June 3, 2004


$18 Million U.S. DOT Investment Means More Cargo Business,
Less Noise for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

CINCINNATI – Cargo operators flying out of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport will be able to send fully loaded flights to eastern Europe and Asia thanks in part to a new $18 million investment being made by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“This airport is already an important passenger hub,” said Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta. “Today we are helping put Cincinnati on the map as a key player in the international air cargo business.”

The grant announced today will fund the construction of a new runway and provide for the extension of Runway 9-27 from 10,000 feet to 12,000. These upgrades mean that larger wide-body aircraft used to haul cargo and passengers now will be able to operate out of the airport fully loaded on flights as far away as Asia and eastern Europe.

The runway upgrades also will cut noise for neighboring residents. Both the longer runway and the new one, when it opens in December 2005, will allow significantly more flights to shift their approaches and take offs away from nearby communities.

Martin Whitmer, deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), presented the grant on behalf of the administration.

“We are helping connect Cincinnati to the global marketplace. We are making it even easier for travelers to visit and businesses to do business here,” Whitmer said. “And we are improving the quality of life for nearby residents.”

Once the new runway is opened, the airport will be among the first in the nation to allow three simultaneous approaches to the airfield. This is expected to translate into a 26 percent increase in capacity and to further improve the airports on-time performance.

The funds come from the Airport Improvement Program of DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration.