Port of Seattle Highlights Importance of Air Cargo to the Region with the Arrival of Copper River Salmon
(Seattle - May 14, 2010) - The arrival of the annual Copper River salmon harvest highlights the importance of air cargo for the Puget Sound region which generates an estimated $16 billion in air freight through Seattle-Tacoma International airport each year. In addition, more than 135,000 jobs in Washington state are related to air cargo shipped through Sea-Tac earning $8 billion in wages and salaries and contributing $737 million in state and local taxes.
The Port of Seattle occupies an important location on the West Coast of North America with strategic highway, sea and air links to the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. The Port owns and operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) offering daily non-stop service to over 100 destinations. Sea-Tac has international all-cargo maindeck, widebody belly and integrated express cargo service to multiple destinations in Asia and Europe including Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, London and Paris. It is also a domestic air and truck gateway to the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Alaska and Canada's British Columbia. More than 31.2 million passengers and 270,000 tons of cargo passed through Sea-Tac in 2009.
Almost equidistant between Vancouver, Canada and Portland, Oregon, Seattle makes sense as a first stop in serving the North American cargo market. Important markets accessible from Seattle by truck include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boise, Calgary, and Denver. Within an eight-hour truck drive there is access to 16.2 million people with a GDP of $685 million. A two day truck drive brings access to a population of 63 million and a GDP of $3 trillion. Outbound, Seattle makes sense as a final stop allowing carriers to maximize back haul payload to Asia or Europe. Key local air export commodities include high tech instruments, seafood, aircraft spare parts and high value fruits and vegetables.
About Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Operated by the Port of Seattle, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA, KSEA) is ranked as the 17th largest U.S. airport, serving more than 32.1 million passengers in 2009. With a regional economic impact of more than $13.2 billion in business revenue, Sea-Tac generates more than 161,000 jobs (89,902 direct jobs) representing more than $2.2 billion in direct earnings and $412.4 million in state and local taxes. Twenty-eight airlines serve 76 non-stop domestic destinations and 22 international cities.