News / Could an e-commerce boom and 'the Amazon effect' be the saving of smaller cargo airports?

© Andrey Shevchenko

For aspiring air cargo gateways, the “Amazon effect” may be the new “Aerotropolis”.

The concept of an airport integrated with production facilities on its doorstep fuelled the development ambitions of many smaller airports over the past three decades.

While, the decline in air freight seriously dented those dreams, rumours that Amazon may buy Hahn Airport to use as its European hub – coupled with gung-ho predictions of e-commerce growth – is opening a new debate about the viability of cargo airports.

Neither the internet retail giant nor the ...