Air Cargo Expo Brochure.qxd

Chicago / Rockford International Airport
60 Airport Drive • Rockford, Illinois 61109
Phone: 815-969-4000 • Fax: 815-969-4001
www.FlyRFD.com
RFD–It’s the way flying should be.

RFD Fast Facts
• A380 capable
• 24th largest cargo airport in the United States
• Sophisticated 10,000’ Primary Runway – Category
III/II Instrument Landing System
• 3,000 acres of airport property – 1,000 acres of
developable land for aviation and non-aviation businesses
available; tens of thousands of developable
land available on the landside
• Congestion-free, independently-operated air space –
24/7 FAA Air Traffic Control Tower
• RFD is a U.S. Customs Port of Entry and a grantee
for Foreign Trade Zone #176
• RFD is located 30 minutes north of Global
Intermodal III: Union Pacific Railroad’s largest
Intermodal Hub
• Non-stop international capabilities to Europe, Africa,
Asia, and South America
• Located 85 miles northwest of Chicago with easy
major highways, interstates, and U.S. routes –
including: I-90, I-39, and I-88
• Several Fixed Base Operations (FBO) options to
meet a full spectrum of cargo aviation needs
We invite you to come explore the reasons why
theChicago/Rockford International Airport holds the
key to a SMARTER, EASIER, and FASTER way for you
to do business.

RFD
Easy Access
Centrally Located
Convenient
Strategically Located:
Within a 50-minute drive of RFD, there are 2.3 million people who live
and work. The population grows substantially to 8.4 million when the
drive time is expanded to 90 minutes.
Airport Facilities:
RFD is a world-class international airport capable of landing aircraft in
Category III/II conditions. The runways are stressed for heavy cargo aircraft
and are virtually brand new. These state-of-the-art capabilities,
when coupled with runway lengths of 10,000 ft. and 8,200 ft., allow
RFD to land any jet aircraft operating in the world today, even under the
most adverse conditions. RFD’s modern two-story terminal building has
50,000 sq. ft. of hassle-free environment with ground level and jet
bridge boarding.
International Services:
RFD is Grantee for Foreign Trade Zone #176 and is a U.S. Customs Port
of Entry. In February 2005, RFD’s Federal Inspection Services facility
opened, providing the airport with the ability to process international
passengers from around the world.
Cargo Ranking and Economic Impact:
RFD is the 24th largest air cargo hub in the United States. Air cargo carriers
United Parcel Service, DHL, and Burlington Air Express (BAX),
operate aircraft in and out of RFD on a daily basis. These operations,
coupled with other airport tenants, produce $719,000,000 in annual
economic impact for the regional community, according to the Illinois
Department of Transportation.
Aviation College:
Rock Valley College School of Aviation Technology offers training programs
at an airport-based campus. Day and evening classes offer students
FAA-approved one or two year programs for aviation maintenance,
airframe technician, and power plant technician. Customized
training for the aviation industry is also available.
Information Technology:
Rockford is uniquely equipped for electronic business. Advanced fiberoptic
installation by several major telecommunication providers offers
powerful broadband internet and data transmission capabilities.
Unrestricted Airspace:
A 24-hour-a-day, level seven (7) Air Traffic Control Tower is located on
the airfield. RFD’s airspace is independently operated outside of the
highly congested and restricted airspace of Chicago.
RFD remains congestion free!

Property &
Development
Property & Development Potential
RFD is strategically and geographically positioned to help you
reach your business potential. Our property expands over
3,000 acres with land available for commercial development.
We invite you to join the economic surge that is moving
through the airport community and locate your business on
RFD property. Our partnership with UPS resulted in a secondto-none,
fast-track regional sort facility being designed, constructed,
and fully operational within nine months from the
date our partner, UPS said “GO.” The concrete ramp is 63 acres
for this 600,000 sq. ft.. sort facility. We have two other air cargo
ramps currently in simultaneous operation.
Additional Runway Capability
A third runway of 8,000 ft. in length can be added to our current
configuration if needed.
Terminal Building
The existing terminal is expandable and the Master Plan provides
for a mid-field passenger terminal building as an intermodel
aviation passenger facility to fully incorporate the existing
on-airport rail system.

Logistics
Corridor
Rail Service
• Amtrak
• Canadian National
• Burlington Northern-Santa Fe
(BNSF)
• Union Pacific
• I & M Rail Link
• Illinois RailNet
Intermodel Hub
In October 2003, Union Pacific celebrated the grand opening of Global
III, its $181 million intermodal facility in Rochelle, IL, located 30 miles
southwest of the airport. This state-of-the-art facility’s strategic location provides
warehouse and distribution facilities outside of the heavily-congested
Chicago area. Many advantages include access to direct interstate highway
routes with easy access to major east/west and north/south markets. This
843-acre facility allows for the efficient interchange of shipments to and
from rail connections and expedites the operations of over 25 trains and
3,000 containers daily.
Major highways and an abundance of railroad services create an efficient system
for land transportation in the Northwest Chicago region.
Highways and Interstates
RFD is strategically positioned along US Highway 20,
with access to Interstate 39 (north/south route from
Rockford to western suburbs of Chicago) and uncongested
access to Central Illinois, Interstate 90 the
Northwest Tollway between northwest Chicago and
Wisconsin.
Interstate: I-39, I-88, I-90
Federal: US Route 20, US Route 51/251
State: (9 State Highways) IL 2, 26, 38, 64,
70, 72, 75, 76, 173

Air Cargo Services
Fuel Accessibility
Our air cargo-related tenants are big name, world wide operators, both
in the air and on the ground. The demands of our tenants warrant a
direct aviation fuel feed to the airport with bulk storage capacity for Jet
A fuel in excess of 2,000,000 gallons. A multi-port pipeline delivering
Jet A fuel is located on airport property.
DHL
DHL has served RFD since 1991. They currently operate a 20,000 sq. ft.
sort facility.
BAX Global
BAX Global began service at RFD in July of 2000. They are currently
operating a 25,000 sq. ft. sort facility with multiple daily flights.
Since 1994, the Chicago/Rockford International Airport (RFD) has
climbed in the rankings for cargo landed weight (according to the
Department of Transportation’s yearly statistics).
UPS–A Successful Partnership
UPS is the world's largest package distribution company and RFD is home
to their largest regional sorting facility in the UPS system. RFD is the only
facility of its type that handles coast-to-coast cargo.
2004 Top 50 U.S. Cargo Ranks
1. ANC Anchorage, AK
2. MEM Memphis, TN
4. MIA Miami, FL
7. ORD Chicago, IL
24. RFD Rockford, IL
28. SEA Seattle, WA
42. DTW Detroit, MI
In April 2006, UPS completed construction of their new 70,000 sq. ft. sorting
facility located west of the existing RFD Hub. This new building accommodates
heavy freight and is viewed as a significant benefit to the region.
The air freight hub will operate separately from the small package network
and, including airport improvements, cost an estimated $7.4 million to construct.
The UPS facility has caused RFD to grow to the 24th most active cargo airport in the United States.