Some porcine passengers passed through St. Louis Lambert International last week. They were quite porky. Literally.
A 747 loaded with some 200 breeding pigs from Tennessee took off from St. Louis Lambert International Airport on a flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was the first flight of its kind since Lambert became an approved preferred animal embarkation point, a key step in its effort to expand the cargo business.
"For us it's not a second-class citizen," says airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebrugge. "They're a prime piece of our business and we want that business. So we were very happy to have the first shipment go off successful(ly) and we are hopeful that we can use that as an example and bring more in the future."
The hogs are the first load to utilize the Livestock Export and Inspection Facility, or LEIF at St. Louis-Lambert. LEIF is an 18,000-square-foot facility designed for shipping livestock and the only on-site 24/7 livestock palletizing facility in the United States. It has a 12,000-square-foot adjacent open bay that was used to load the partial plane to Brazil.
"It really helps to jump start our efforts on really becoming more noticeable from a cargo perspective," says Hamm-Niebrugge. "We have a great facility, we have a great runway infrastructure."
Hamm-Niebruegge hopes it's just the beginning and that an increased demand for live animal cargo flights during COVID-19 positions St. Louis as an important central hub for live animal transport. The airport is talking with operators about additional charters early next year, but nothing is confirmed.
“This is a very important step forward in our years-long effort to open a new gateway from Missouri to the global economy," said Daniel P. Mehan, chairman of the Midwest Cargo Hub Commission and President and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "This progress leverages Missouri’s logistical strengths and geographic position to create a new economic opportunity in the agri-business sector at a time when we need it most.”