UPS Airlines to Begin Service from Gary/Chicago International Airport This Fall

A UPS A300 aircraft (Photo: Little Flight Photography [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)])

[ Routes ]May 29, 2020 3:01 am ET

By Jordan Green

Earlier this month, UPS Airlines announced that it will begin service from Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Ind. The flights will be operated using the carrier’s Airbus A300 freighters between Gary and the cargo giant’s global air hub in Louisville, Ky.

This new route is yet another that shows UPS’s dedication to its A300 fleet. Earlier this year, UPS announced that it would use the A300 to operate a new service between Querétaro, Mexico, and the UPS Worldport. Additionally, last fall, UPS announced the successful test flight of their first A300 with a wide variety of flight deck updates. The A300-600 has a maximum payload of 121,730 pounds, with 22 container positions on the main deck and 7 on the lower cargo compartment. At maximum payload, it has a range of 2,000 nautical miles.

The route between Gary and Louisville is a short hop for the A300 at approximately 220 nautical miles. The flights will depart Gary late at night and return the following morning. Along with the new service, UPS announced an airport facility lease that includes a 150,000 square foot ramp area. That amounts to enough space to park two of the company’s A300 aircraft. Additionally, the lease includes 14,000 square feet of office space in the airport’s passenger terminal. According to UPS, they will employ about 60 people at Gary/Chicago International.

Both UPS and airport officials provided positive comments on the new route. UPS Airlines Brendan Canavan said, “The Gary/Chicago International Airport is well-positioned to add additional capacity and flexibility to the UPS network, helping businesses in Northern Indiana and the Chicago area compete at e-commerce’s fast pace as they serve their customers.”

Gary Chicago International Airport Board Authority Chairman Timothy Fesko said “UPS expanding its services to GCIA provides the airport with a critical competitive advantage and solidifies its role as the Chicago region’s 3rd regional airport,” and further said, “This is the latest private sector investment bolstering our operations capability and allows the airport to provide critical benefits to the Chicago metropolitan area.”

UPS will begin the flights between Gary and Louisville starting on November 2, 2020, just in time for the holiday shipping rush.

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Jordan Green

Jordan joined the AG team in 2018 after attending AAviationDay in Philadelphia.He is actively pursuing his private pilot certificate and has been an aviation enthusiast since childhood.An attorney by trade, Jordan jokingly refers to himself as a “recovering litigator” and now focuses on subcontracts management.

Jordan focuses his writing on innovations in commercial aviation, aviation history, and other interesting topics he feels are worthy of discussion in the community.

Author

Jordan Green

Jordan joined the AG team in 2018 after attending AAviationDay in Philadelphia. He is actively pursuing his private pilot certificate and has been an aviation enthusiast since childhood. An attorney by trade, Jordan jokingly refers to himself as a “recovering litigator” and now focuses on subcontracts management. Jordan focuses his writing on innovations in commercial aviation, aviation history, and other interesting topics he feels are worthy of discussion in the community.
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