Amazon Air Hub opened Wednesday at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).
The project has been ongoing through planning and construction for four years and now the air hub will serve as the central hub for the corporation’s U.S. cargo network, facilitating the transport of Amazon packages across the country.
The $1.5 billion investment is expected to create thousands of jobs ultimately.
“Wonderful communities and diverse teams like this are the heart and soul of our operations,” said Vice President of Amazon Global Air Sarah Rhoads. “We’re excited to get rolling in Northern Kentucky, and we’re thrilled to employ thousands of fantastic people from the area in this next-generation, highly sophisticated facility that will connect our air cargo network for years to come.”
The 800,000-square-foot sortation building sits on an 882-acre campus that features seven buildings, an expansive new ramp for aircraft parking, and a multi-story vehicle parking structure. The sortation facility is equipped with robotics technology that helps move and sort packages—including robotic arms and mobile drive units that transport packages across the building—miles of interlinked conveyors, and ergonomic workstations that support a comfortable work environment for employees. The building will also feature a solar rooftop scheduled for installation over the next year, and all energy generated from the panels will feed directly into the electrical grid of the local community.
“The Amazon Air Hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport will make Kentucky the undisputed national leader in air cargo,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. “In addition to creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs, this hub puts Kentucky at the center of Amazon’s U.S. distribution network. Across the coming years, Amazon Air will help attract more manufacturers, service providers, and tech companies to Kentucky seeking to take similar advantage of our key geographic location. Congratulations and thanks to Amazon for this monumental investment in our state and workforce. We look forward to continuing the commonwealth’s longstanding and successful partnership with Amazon for decades to come.”
“CVG is proud to be home to Amazon Air’s primary U.S. air cargo hub,” said Chief Executive Officer of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Candace McGraw. “We’ve worked hard to ensure our airport is a great place to do business, and we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with Amazon on the transformational impact this hub is having and will continue to have on our local economy well into the future, from job creation to innovation and increased connection to the country.”
Amazon has invested in the region for many years; the most recent investment is a diagnostics laboratory in Hebron that processed millions of COVID-19 tests for front-line employees and recently expanded testing capability to support customers.
Amazon has created more than 18,000 jobs in Kentucky since 2010 and invested more than $20 billion across the state, both in infrastructure and compensation for local employees.
These investments have contributed an additional $18 billion to the Kentucky economy and have helped create over 49,000 indirect jobs on top of Amazon’s direct hires—from jobs in construction and logistics to professional services, the company said.
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore said Amazon’s activity at CVG played an important economic role throughout the pandemic and is helping Northern Kentucky’s economy recover.
“The building of the air hub provided hundreds of high skilled construction jobs throughout the pandemic,” Moore said. “The Amazon Air Hub at CVG helps the airport diversify its business model by strengthening its cargo revenues thus complimenting its passenger operations. A stronger CVG enhances the region’s overall economic vitality.”
Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann congratulated Amazon on the opening of its air hub at CVG Airport.
“Consumers and businesses throughout Northern Kentucky and the eastern half of the United States have benefitted from the cargo capabilities at CVG throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery,” Knochelmann said. “The Amazon Air Hub is an integral piece of the transportation system Amazon has developed to meet customer demands.”
Northern Kentucky Tri-ED CEO Lee Crume said the Amazon Air Hub will be a tech-driver and attract new businesses to Northern Kentucky.
“Amazon is an innovator at its core – in ecommerce, in delivery and in sustainability – these qualities are exemplified and embraced in the Cincinnati region,” Crume said. “The Amazon Air Hub will anchor innovation and innovative supply chain companies in the Midwest – in Northern Kentucky – as the hub’s operations take off.”
-Staff report
