Lynxs Group of Texas Teams with Mapco Alaska Petroleum on Multi-million Dollar Project
The Lynxs Group of Austin, Texas, has joined with MAPCO Alaska Petroleum to invest up to $25 million in development of an international air cargo facility at Anchorage International Airport.
“This multi-million dollar investment is another clear demonstration of Anchorage’s importance as an international cargo crossroads,” said Gov. Tony Knowles. The commitment to a new cargo facility in Anchorage is a result of the international cargo transfer ruling, which the state of Alaska obtained from the U.S. Department of Transportation last November. The decision gave most foreign carriers the right to use Alaska as a cargo transfer point. “The ruling was clearly a catalyst in attracting this development,” said Knowles.
The facility will be built on 30-acres of state land in the Airport’s northeast corner. The lease terms for the site require a minimum $10 million investment and construction of a 100,000 square foot air cargo facility with five wide-body aircraft parking positions. The project also will include a million square feet of ramp equipped for refueling. Lynxs and MAPCO said an Alaska team with experience in Alaska airport projects will design and build the facility.
The new Lynxs/MAPCO development will provide needed facilities for carriers interested in the efficiency of transferring cargo in Anchorage, or trade opportunities in the Alaska market. With the 1996 federal ruling, carriers now are free to take advantage of hubbing opportunities made possible by Anchorage’s proximity to most major population centers in Asia, North America and Europe.
Anchorage International Airport currently attracts more than 90 percent of all trans-Pacific freighter service. More than two dozen international cargo carriers operate freighters via Anchorage. Five cargo carriers–Fedex, Northwest, UPS, United, and Polar–also conduct major cargo sort hubs or other operations in Anchorage.
The Lynxs Group already has cargo-port facilities in Texas and California and is expanding to other areas of the country. Mapco Alaska Petroleum owns the North Pole Refinery and is the major distributor of jet fuel at the Anchorage International Airport.