Erlanger, Ky. (April 24, 2017) ― The first quarter of 2017 proved to be strong and historic for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) with continued passenger growth and major announcements.

Total enplanements were up 11.1 percent year-over-year and local passengers were up 15.9 percent. CVG set a new first quarter cargo tonnage record with more than 205,000 tons handled, totaling a year-over-year increase of 8 percent.

The biggest economic development deal in the region was signed between the airport and Amazon to build its global air cargo hub at CVG. The $1.5 billion investment will support a fleet of 100+ Prime Air cargo planes. Other details of the deal include:

  • More than 900 acres of CVG land leased for 50+ years
  • Construction of a three million square foot sort facility and accessory buildings
  • Add more than 2,700 jobs to CVG’s existing base of 10,000

The expected activity and landed weight of Amazon’s operations will enable CVG to continue lowering its landing fees, benefiting all carriers while ensuring CVG remains a great place to do business.

Southwest Airlines announced that it will start service June 4th by offering 55 weekly flights with service to Baltimore/Washington (3x a day) and Chicago Midway (5x a day). Two gates in Concourse A are currently being refurbished for the inaugural flights. South west becomes the 10th passenger carrier at CVG, which now provides nonstop service to 55 destinations with 175 peak-day departures.

In March, CVG was named the best world airport serving 5 – 10 million passengers in the 2017 Skytrax World Airport Awards. CVG was also voted as the best regional airport in North America for the sixth time.

Other major announcements included:

  • Delta growing its CVG capacity by 6 percent and expanding service to 13 existing CVG markets.
  • Frontier growing its service by 20 percent with the addition of new nonstop service to New York City – LaGuardia, San Diego and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
  • Continued growth of Allegiant Air with the announcement of its 16th nonstop market.  Service between CVG and Denver will start June 2nd.
  • DHL hiring 900 additional employees.

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About CVG

CVG offers more nonstop destinations than any airport in the region, including direct international service to Paris, Toronto, Cancun, Montego Bay, Punta Cana and Freeport Grand Bahama. CVGairport.com is your award-winning, travel-planning resource with flight status, security wait times, parking availability and weather.

CVG is one of the three global super-hubs for DHL, a top 10 cargo airport in North America and is recognized globally as a leading U.S. airport by SkyTrax World Airport Awards. CVG is the only airport in the country to receive Safety Act Designation and Certification from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), giving the airport the highest level of protections under the Act.