Cargo business booming at area airport

TAMPA — The arrival of Amazon in 2015 and UPS in 2017 has given Tampa International Airport’s cargo business a jolt.

According to statements posted on the airport’s website, cargo volume at TPA has doubled in three years, and the cargo business now employs more than 850 people.

TIA’s north cargo building has been abuzz with activity, especially late at night as hundreds of workers prepare for cargo flights — sometimes as many as six in rapid succession — to arrive in the morning.

“It’s very fast-paced. We’re all working hard to make sure we meet our delivery times,” states Tim Ewin, air operations manager for UPS at Tampa International. “We kind of motivate ourselves by trying to beat that Amazon Prime plane.”

With Amazon and UPS joining FedEx as heavy users of TIA’s cargo terminal, TIA has passed Fort Lauderdale as Florida’s third-busiest air cargo site and is closing in on Orlando International Airport for the No. 2 spot.

According to the statements, TIA expects its cargo revenue to top $5.2 million in 2019, up from $2.6 million in 2015, and it plans to invest $69 million next year in an expansion of its cargo terminal facilities.