Unique needs means special cargo for G7 capital city

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Ottawa Macdonald Cartier International Airport believes it can use its geographic location to provide an alternative to other airports including Toronto and Montreal, Ottawa International Airport Authority tells Air Cargo Week.

Ottawa describes cargo performance this year as “So far, so good” describing it as “consistent”, having handled around 22,000 tonnes a year, primarily outbound.

It admits the Ottawa cargo market is not at the same global scale as the likes of Toronto and Montreal from an industrial and consumer goods perspective but points out: “What makes us unique is that Ottawa is a G7 capital city; therefore, government’s unique needs frequently require special cargo operations like foreign aid.”

The Ottawa-Gatineau region supplies Northern Canada with goods from axel grease to zinc supplements as well as government business.

The airport explains: “Being part of the northern supply chain is rounded out by government business, including unique operations like the shipping of currencies as Canada prints currency notes and presses coins for other nations. Internally, we refer to these operations as “Money Planes”, for obvious reasons they have unique security needs.”

Ottawa can also provide capacity as an alternative to other airports in the region, explaining: “As Toronto and Montreal experience mounting capacity challenges, we’re an excellent alternative as Ottawa is geographically located between both markets.”

It adds: “Like most other airports with cargo activity, we see this is an important part of our operation and vision to be an economic engine for Canada’s Capital Region.”

Ottawa says the outlook for Canada is strong, “Especially given that the current US government is signalling protectionist policies, this is an opportunity for Canada to further step up on the global stage.”

It adds: “Canada has a positive global reputation for a reason — we’re open for business and great people to deal with!”