Industry Insights | Greater JFK Industrial Business Improvement District (IBID)

JFK Air Cargo Study

In January 2013, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”) and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (“Port Authority”) released its report on the air cargo market at John F. Kennedy International Airport (“JFK”). The JFK Air Cargo Study aimed to address cargo and logistics business needs and concerns related to facilities, infrastructure, access, and business development. The study produced an Action Plan designed to ensure that future development accommodates growth in cargo tonnage.

As the second largest employer in Queens, employing 69,000 people and contributing $4.1 billion in wages annually, JFK Airport is a key factor in the economic growth of New York City. Along with its surrounding communities, it represents the seventh largest cargo airport in the country, having shipped and received 1.3 million tons of cargo in 2010. Over 15,000 people at JFK work directly in air cargo related jobs. Regionally, the air cargo industry supports over 50,000 jobs, $8.6 billion in sales and almost $3.0 billion in wages.

These factors demonstrate the significant impact the JFK air cargo community has had in Queens and its neighboring boroughs. The strategic plan for JFK is somewhat unique because of the extent to which the on- and off-airport businesses and operations are functionally integrated. The off-airport cargo community is home to one of the industry’s largest assemblies of customs brokers and freight forwarders that control the routing of most of the world’s international freight shipments