Stockton Metropolitan Airport has become an important hub for Amazon.
Amazon's cargo flights in Stockton began in February, but business has increased so much that a second jet was added Sunday and a third is scheduled to start next month. The increased traffic means more jobs and business for the airport.
Airport Director Harry Mavrogenes says about 50 workers have been hired to load and unload the cargo planes. Amazon's presence “creates more jobs in the area," Mavrogenes says, "and of course, great distribution at the ground level when they get in here.”
Mavrogenes says Amazon is saving hundreds of millions of dollars on shipping costs by using their own cargo jets.
And speaking about more business, he adds the airport has just received a grant this year which will bring passenger service to Los Angeles within the next year and a half.
“The idea is to get our citizens to a hub airport with a major airline, they can then continue on to anywhere in the world.”
Stockton Metro is within 30 miles of Amazon fulfillment centers in Tracy and Patterson. It is one of 8 airports in the country serving Amazon’s Boeing 767 cargo jets. Mavrogenes says the two fulfillment centers and the nearby port mean that "the air service is a natural addition."
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