Economic thaw in Anchorage as cargo, fuel stops mount

AMERICA's second-biggest air cargo hub, Alaska's Anchorage airport says new stopovers and rising demand for fuel may be signs of an economic improvement, reports The Associated Press.

Airport manager Ted Stevens said the latest sign was the return of Cargolux Airlines, of Luxembourg, which recently began twice weekly refuelling stops in Anchorage, the first in five years.

According to statistics from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Anchorage had been the nation's highest volume stop for air cargo until a 15 per cent drop from 2007 to 2008. Tennessee's Memphis International Airport took the top spot. FAA numbers for 2009 are due in July.

(Source: www.schednet.com)