Sen. Schumer Urges FedEx To Choose Plattsburgh International Airport As New Hub For Transborder Shipping And Training

With Its State Of The Art Facilities, Top-Flight Workers and Strategic Proximity to Canada, Plattsburgh is Well Positioned to be a Competitive Shipping Center; Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute Plans To Enhance Local Aeronautic Workforce by Securing a Donated, Retired Boeing 727 From FedEx To Train Students

July 10, 2007 -- With the Plattsburgh International Airport well positioned to be a competitive shipping center, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged FedEx to consider the airport as a potential hub for processing and shipping trans-border transactions. Schumer stressed that the Plattsburgh Airport, which is already equipped with state of the art facilities, is strategically positioned along the Canadian border and the Greater Montreal area, making it an ideal site to integrate existing overland trucking services with new transborder air service.

In his letter today to FedEx, Schumer also wrote in support of Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute’s (PAI) application for the donation of a used FedEx Boeing 727-200 Aircraft, arguing that the aircraft is vital to the Institute’s mission to provide students with the technical training necessary to help them succeed in the aviation industry. FedEx has a long history of donating retired cargo planes to airports, educational institutions and local governments so they can be used to train mechanics, cargo operators and other aeronautic professionals.

“With its location along the Canadian border, Plattsburgh International Airport is a natural choice for FedEx to set up a transborder shipping hub,” said Schumer. “This is a golden opportunity for FedEx to take advantage of the state of the art facilities that the airport has to offer and tap into the skilled aeronautic workforce graduating from the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute. The addition of a Boeing aircraft that can be used to enhance the training program at PAI will ensure that the institute continues to produce some of the best technicians in the field and ensure that Plattsburgh will be able meet FedEx’s needs.”

With a strong aeronautic workforce, a state of the art facility and a strategic location near the Canadian border, Plattsburgh International Airport is well positioned to offer FedEx a host of competitive advantages as a shipping center. FedEx already has a shipment center in Plattsburgh that processes goods being transported overland. This brand new airport in Plattsburgh could provide FedEx with a new multi-modal hub for transborder shipping and transactions, integrating existing trucking services with new air shipping.

Since being decommissioned as an air force base, the Plattsburgh Airport has experienced a remarkable rebirth as a hub for aeronautic commerce and education. Companies such as Pratt and Whitney have located there in order to take advantage of the areas exceptional workforce and facility. Built for bombers, the runway is 11,759 feet long and extra wide, with a 12 million square foot apron. That means, unlike many other airports, Plattsburgh can accommodate any aircraft in use today and has ample space for new functions. The new terminal means that air carriers will find modern gates and operational space.

To enhance the skills and training available to the local aeronautic workforce and foster greater ties between FedEx and Plattsburgh, the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute has applied to FedEx for the donation of a Boeing 727-200 Aircraft. The donation of the aircraft is vital to the Institute’s mission to provide young people and adults with technical training necessary to help them succeed in the aviation industry. The donated aircraft would give PAI’s students the necessary hands on experience and exposure to the mechanics and technology of the aircraft needed to succeed in the FAA’s Airport and Powerplant (A&P) licensure program.

The proposed program is a joint effort between PAI, the Champlain Valley Educational Service’s career and technical training branch (CV-TEC) and Clinton Community College (CCC). PAI will begin to train high school students and adults for the A&P licensure program this year. In addition, students will be eligible to receive college credit, and the option of a two-year Associate’s degree from CCC. The program has the benefit of ensuring that Plattsburgh's aviation workforce is current in the latest aeronautic technology advances, furthering the region’s capability of supporting a FedEx hub.

In a personal letter to Frederick W Smith, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of FedEx, Schumer wrote, “Establishing a presence in Plattsburgh and having a true Boeing Aircraft at PAI holds great promise for your company and will ensure that there is a facility capable of producing the best A&P technicians possible. I would urge personnel from FedEx to visit the site to further understand the value the airport, as well as the region’s highly skilled workforce, could bring to your company.”

PAI’s proposed A&P institute will be located at Plattsburgh International Airport, a converted military airbase that has received around $20 million in Military Airport Program funds to convert it to a commercial facility.

Source: Senator Charles E. Schumer

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