Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, king of the passenger hubs, is trying to make a dent in air cargo where it does not make the top 30, and is well behind Louisville, Anchorage, and Indianapolis.
"We have work to do," admits airport general manager Miguel Southwell. "The main purpose of an airport is to be any community's chief jobs driver. That's why an airport exists."
But the traditional cargo market is stagnant, so the airport is building facilities to go after a different sector. They're interested in perishable goods, like pharmaceuticals and fresh flowers.
Airports are also limited in what they can do to attract new cargo, says Enno Osinga, chief of cargo operations at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, and vice chairman of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA).
"An airport, if you look at it unkindly, is a bit of concrete. It's got runways. It's got aprons," Mr Osinga says. "They're all the same."
The key to bolstering cargo operations, he said, is to convince industry to build nearby.
Atlanta is building more cargo warehouses on-site and Hartsfield-Jackson is offering financial incentives for new cargo service, according to Shipping Gazette.
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