Eclipsing The Competition . . . On Monday April 8 as the world awaited the Solar Eclipse, down on the ground United Cargo had officially just opened a brand spanking new full-service air cargo facility with all the bells and whistles at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) at 100 Frontage Road.
     All smiles at a lively celebration on Thursday April 4 (in photo above, from left) were Mark Albrecht, United Global Director Cargo Logistics, Manny Casalinho, President, Choice Aviation Services and Jan Krems, United Cargo President as United unveiled the 165,000-square foot cargo facility.
     Added to United's current cargo facility on airport at EWR of 154,000 square feet located on Brewster Road, United Cargo now has 319,000 square feet of total capability at its major New York & New Jersey hub.
     I have always loved Newark Airport, in fact wrote a book about the place in 1978, which saved the 1934 Administration Building (dedicated by Amelia Earhart), that was home to The World’s First Air Traffic Control Center.
     Undoubtedly United Airlines has strong feelings about Newark. When the 'New Newark International’ opened for business in 1973 and then into the 1980s, United operated almost alone in Terminal A, while Terminal B sat half empty and Terminal C was completely vacant, an unoccupied outer shell of a passenger facility.
     But in 1973, United, with a little help from an almost forgotten airline called Peoples Express, which operated from the 1950s passenger terminal next to The Brewster Hangars, staged the beginnings of a big comeback for Newark Airport.
     Not quite as “The World’s Busiest Airport,” a title Newark held from 1928 until LaGuardia Airport opened in 1939, but the airport regained a foothold on the destination map of the airlines of the world.
     Clearly United positioned itself at an underutilized facility, recognizing the potential for the future via great connections to all transportation so that by 1986 when UA landed New York-based Pan American World Airways Pacific Division and later Continental in 2010 in that $8.5-billion-dollar merger, the wisdom of centering its action at the Newark gateway was realized.
     Now United Cargo does it again, flying high, wide and handsome with the newest, most important air cargo facility serving New York and New Jersey metroplex.

     The roster of invited guests, including local political glitterati and others who attended the ribbon-cutting celebration, physical evidence of the importance of this day included: Mike Hanna, United SVP, Worldwide Airport Operations; Christian Bollwage, Mayor of Elizabeth & PANYNJ Board Commissioner; John Begier, CEO Seagis Property Group (Seagis built the new facility); Omer Mir Ahmed, Chief Development Officer Seagis; Clinton Calabrese, New Jersey Assemblyman; Bob Smith, New Jersey State Senator, Michael Silva, East Ward (NJ) Councilman and Chris Ward Sr., United Regional Manager Cargo Ops – U.S. East EWR & IAD.
     So on "peek-a-boo” Solar Monday, we were simply "over the moon" about United Cargo at Newark!
Geoffrey